Ads with gristle blood and bones to shock kids off junk food

Nov 7 2005

A heart charity in the UK has launched a campaign to shock children away from junk food.

The British Heart Foundation, a charitable organisation, has launched a poster campaign in an attempt to shock children away from eating cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and hot dogs.

The charity has hired billboards around Britain to show burger and hot dog buns filled with gristle, bones and connective tissue, and the gory images are obscured by a "censored" stamp, but can be peeled back to reveal the true ingredients on the charity's Web site.

According to BHF Director General, Peter Hollins, children have lost touch with even the most basic foods and no longer understand what they are eating.

In a survey conducted by the charity which interviewed 1,000 children, it was found that one in three did not know that chips were made from potatoes.

Apparently as many as one in ten thought chips were made mostly from oil, while others suggested eggs, flour and even apples.

The quality of food eaten by children remains a hot political issue after a high-profile campaign by television chef Jamie Oliver attempted to tackle the issue of childhood obesity and eating habits.

The British Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has pledged £220 million to help schools prepare better meals.