We've all experienced those moments in the supermarket when the kids catch sight of something they've seen advertised on TV and start nagging for you to put it in the basket (or just put it in the basket themselves as a surprise for you when you get to the checkout).

It's tough to continually say no. 'No, we can't get that breakfast cereal because it's got CHOCOLATE in it.' 'No, we can't get those because it's not actually chicken.' No, we can't buy that juice because it is practically made of sugar and nothing else.' I definitely come home with more 'undesirable' products and snacks when either of my children do the shopping with me. I suspect I am not alone in this.

Interestingly, the BBC are reporting today that many parents certainly feel that they let their children influence them when buying food for the family and that they would back a campaign to see an end to any advertising of unhealthy foods and sugary snacks before the 9pm watershed. 

In a poll commissioned by the Children's Food Trust of over 1,000 parents, over 50% said that ads for junk food made it harder for them to provide their children with healthy diets and that they often felt pestered into buying poor food as a direct result of their children seeing these ads. 65% of those parents surveyed said that there should be a total ban on advertising products which were high in fat, sugar or salt before 9pm - regardless of whether the programme was aimed at children, or not.

It's an interesting concept and one which is probably long overdue serious debate here as well as across the water. Commenting on the findings of the survey, Children's Food Trust chairman, Rob Rees said, 'Parents have such a tough job to encourage their children to eat healthily - and what's clear is that they think there are lots of ways we could make their lives easier. This isn't about a 'nanny state' - it's about what will help rather than hinder parents in feeding their children well.'

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