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Companies that use cartoon characters to advertise junk food to children are undermining attempts by parents to encourage healthy eating, a new report claims.

The study by consumer group Which? 'names and shames' a number of cartoon figures used by the food industry to market "unhealthy" brands to youngsters.

Last month the Food Standards Agency (FSA) banned the use of licensed characters on TV advertisements for junk food, aimed at pre-school and primary school children.

However Which? is concerned that food companies are continuing to use their own brand cartoon characters to market products that are high in salt and sugar, while also using animated figures from popular films and TV programmes in website promotions and other advertising.

Examples in the report of characters being used by companies to market food to children include the use of a cartoon penguin from the film Happy Feet on the box of Weetabix's chocolate flavour Weetos. Critics say that the cereal is high in sugar.

Butterkist was also named for using The Simpsons on its honey nut popcorn packaging, while other characters referred to in the Cartoon Heroes and Villains report include Shrek and the Pink Panther.

Despite the prolific use of cartoon figures to promote junk food to children, Which? found that three quarters of parents wanted the practice stopped.

The consumer group is now pressing food manufacturers to respond to their wishes and is calling on other companies to follow the example of Warner Bros and Disney in ending the use of cartoons to promote unhealthy foods.

Sue Davies, chief policy adviser at Which?, said: "There are precious few examples of cartoons being used to promote healthy products. Our research shows that the majority are being used to encourage children to eat fatty, sugary and salty foods.

"With so many parents fed up with the amount of marketing of unhealthy foods aimed at their children, it also makes commercial sense for cartoon brands to distance themselves from unhealthy products," she added.

But calls by the consumer group for additional regulation to tackle the problem have been dismissed by food industry representatives. They say tough rules already exist in regard to TV advertising and stress that moves are now under way to look at the use of cartoons on product packaging.

Julian Hunt, director of communications at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), said: "The report is bizarre given that the UK already has some of the strictest regulations in the world when it comes to advertising and promoting food and drink products to children, and industry is fully complying with these rules."