The Food Standards Agency (FSA) intends to encourage celebrities to promote fruit in a bid to tackle the obesity problem facing the nation.

The targeting of sports personalities - in particular through the Football Association, sports sponsorship organisations and players’ agents - to persuade them to endorse healthy eating is one of a number of options that have been drawn up by the FSA.

The watchdog wants to see curbs on the use of celebrities promoting unhealthy food. Gary Lineker has a long association with Walkers crisps and Lawrence Dallaglio, the England rugby union captain, has been used to promote McDonald’s.

Leading companies will also be encouraged to pledge that they will not pay for unhealthy advertisements that are aimed at children. Supermarkets and fast-food outlets will also be urged to stop two-for-one promotions on unhealthy foods, and to offer more bargains on items such as fruit and vegetables.

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