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It helps to go shopping without the children who, as we know, can impose a great deal of emotional pressure to buy the "wrong" foods. One way to do this is to arrange mutual child-minding with a friend so that a parent can shop alone. Also groceries could be ordered online. Children could be allowed fizzy drinks or savoury snacks at parties or outside the home, so that they would quickly learn that they weren’t available from parents and would soon stop asking for them.

These "rules" would go a long way towards curtailing children's consumption of those foods that parents would prefer them not to eat. Second, parents should make their views known to the advertisers. Consumer campaigns such as "Chuck Sweets off the Checkout", really helped to change the practices of many major retailers.

Do you think parents or schools hold the main key to getting children to eat more sensibly?

Both. Neither can make real progress without the support of the other. An increasing number of schools are setting up healthy living partnerships with parents. Schools have the advantage of peer pressure to encourage certain behaviours. Young children, especially, are more likely to try new foods if they see their friends enjoying them.

But children actually spend more time at home than in school. Parents are an important regulator of the food supply at home and the opportunities for activity. Research has shown that children of overweight parents are more likely to become overweight themselves. This is partly genetic - but family lifestyles play an important part too. It is no coincidence that these famillies are more likely to have overweight pets too.

Is it too late to re-educate the present generation of children?

No - because most children are not overweight. We tend to focus on the one in five children who are already overweight, but four in five children have a healthy weight. Health professionals worry about obesity because the rapid rise in obesity in America and elsewhere suggests that many more children in Britain are at risk of becoming overweight. The good news is that prevention is a far easier job than treating an established weight problem.

We can curtail excess weight gain in children by adjusting their environment. This does not mean imposing overt restrictions on children - we can put in place steps to provide them with more opportunities and encouragement to be active, and make changes in the food they are offered. Children who have an established weight problem will also benefit from these steps, but they may also require more specialised individual advice and support from a health professional.

Could you recommend a general diet for children to follow?

I would recommend a varied choice of a whole range of different foods. Too many children get locked into a repetitive cycle of things they like to eat and if these foods are high in fat, sugar or salt it is all too easy for them to end up with a grossly unbalanced diet. We need to put our efforts into promoting those foods which children are less keen to try, generally those low in fat, sugar or salt.

What practical steps can parents and families take today to combat this problem?

Parents can try the following ABC as the first step to helping their children towards better health.

Availabililty. Direct children’s eating habits by controlling availability. You can’t complain children don’t eat fruit if there isn’t a bowl of fruit in the house. Buy more interesting fruit and less interesting biscuits. Always serve vegetables at mealtimes. Encourage water as a drink by keeping a chilled supply in the fridge. Quantity is important too - buy small or regular sized portions and reduce the chances of excess consumption by avoiding supersize products.

Behaviour. Parents are powerful role models for young children. Seeing parents enjoying vegetables increases the chances that children will view them positively too. Try to be more active in your family life - walk or cycle for short journeys rather than relying on the car. Consider how your behaviour influences your children's attitudes - if you want to treat them, take them to the local swimming pool rather than to a burger bar.

Consistency. Protecting your weight needs to be a lifelong habit. Children quickly spot inconsistencies and exploit them. If you mean it, stick to it.

The debate can be seen live on Sky digital channel 687 or on the live webcast online at www.food.gov.uk . More details from www.food.gov.uk/promotion.

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