Gary Lineker must take a long, hard look at himself, Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger should be outlawed, fatty foods should be taxed and advertisers must become part of the solution.

Those were just some of the heartfelt views voiced at this week’s Food Standards Agency public debate on child obesity.

Broadcaster Jeremy Vine chaired a panel of six opinion formers for the ‘Defusing the Diet Time Bomb’ forum.

Panellist Kierra Box, a student and youth activist, called for a “fat tax” on unhealthy foods, an idea that Worrall Thompson dismissed as creating a “nanny state”.

Although FSA research found that nine out of 10 consumers felt parents should take the most responsibility for children’s diets, there was little support for the food industry from the floor.

Further details in this week’s issue of The Grocer.