Many not in favour of fast food ad ban

NST: PUTRAJAYA: No decision has been made whether or not to ban fast food advertising.
"We haven’t even discussed a ban. We raised the issue to get feedback and raise awareness first," said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
Dr Chua said the feedback received so far was that the ban should not be imposed.
Yesterday, about 20 people from the advertising industry attended a meeting with Dr Chua which was called to find out how big the fast food industry was, and how much they spent on advertising per year.
"I will be meeting industry players next week to see what they have got to say."
The call to ban fast food advertisements on television has raised the question of what should actually be classified as fast food.
Health Ministry deputy director-general Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat was reported yesterday as saying that there were no guidelines to classify fast food and that he was waiting for details from policy makers on the issue.
Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin was recently quoted as saying that Radio Televisyen Malaysia should stop broadcasting fast food advertisements if it could help encourage people to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Dr Chua had said earlier that his ministry would submit a proposal to the Cabinet to ban such advertisements.
After his discussion with the advertising industry representatives, Dr Chua said RM100 million was spent on fast food commercials every year.