More than seven in 10 parents with children aged four to 16 in Wales have been pestered to buy junk food advertised on TV, according to a new survey by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for February’s Heart Month. The BHF polled over 2,100 UK parents with children aged 16 and under and found that 42 per cent believe junk food adverts on TV make it difficult to eat a healthy diet. The BHF believes that this highlights the need to close legal loopholes in the UK’s regulatory system that allow companies to promote unhealthy food and drinks both online and during family TV shows.

“We cannot allow companies to continue exploiting holes in the system at the expense of children’s health,” says Mike Hobday, director of policy at the BHF.