Sporting organisations should review their sponsorship arrangements with the food and drink industry to help tackle the rise of obesity in children, an influential MP has urged.
David Hinchliffe, who chairs the House of Commons health select committee, has called on sports bodies to set an example to children by choosing "more appropriate sponsors" rather than companies such as fast-food giants which encourage children to eat fatty foods.
"It would be helpful if sporting bodies looked at their sponsorship arrangements," he said. "It compromises the situation when organisations who actively encourage sporting participation in children have sponsors that also encourage them to eat unhealthy foods."
In a report published last week the committee cited the death of a three-year-old girl from heart failure attributed to obesity. It looked at the impact of advertising and marketing junk foods to children, and estimated the cost of the crisis could reach £7.4bn a year, making it impossible for the NHS to cope.
The committee attacked the government for failing to offer policies to tackle the crisis caused by sedentary lifestyles and poor diets. Both the sports and education ministers were condemned for endorsing initiatives to give schools sports equipment or books that required children to buy products such as Cadbury's chocolate or Walker's crisps.
One of the UK's leading sports bodies, the Football Association (FA), has a £30m funding deal with food giant McDonald's.
Mr Hinchliffe said: "I am not singling out the FA, but as a renowned organisation they could set an example to other bodies by being more conscious of issues such as child obesity when choosing their sponsors."
But the Football Association, which has a four-year deal with McDonalds, said it was "unlikely" to reconsider its sponsors. A spokesman said: "Obesity in children has become an issue over recent months. When we reviewed our sponsorship deals three years ago, this wasn't the case. It is unrealistic to say that we will review our sponsorship deals in light of this.
"The FA along with other sporting bodies have a major role to play in promoting children's participation in sport. Through programmes like TOPS we are promoting physical activity among primary school children, which in turn can reduce levels of obesity." TOPS is a partnership between the FA and the Youth Sports Trust that provides soccer equipment for 7-11-year-olds in 17,000 schools.
Some of the funds provided by McDonald's have been put towards a scheme which provides 8,000 football coaches for community-based young children's projects across the UK.
While the FA recognises the need to promote fitness in young children to tackle the rising level of obesity, it says there is a "chronic" lack of investment in sports provisions.
