Giving Compass' Take:

• Global Citizen reports on a legislative push in England to ban cartoon characters that promote junk food (along with other restrictions) in an effort to fight the obesity epidemic in the country.

• What could the US learn from the policy proposals, which include forcing supermarkets to remove sweets and unhealthy snacks from checkout areas? While it's unlikely such laws would get approval from Congress, it's worth looking to see the outcomes on public health in the UK if these ideas get implemented.

• Argentina has a similar plan to curb childhood obesity, but it may not be enough.

Cartoon characters that are used to promote unhealthy foods to kids could be a thing of the past in the UK, if a group of MPs gets its way.

The health and social care select committee wants to see characters like Tony the Tiger and the Milky Bar Kid banned in a bid to crack down on childhood obesity — which has reached epidemic proportions in the UK.

However, characters that promote healthy foods, like the sweetcorn-loving Jolly Green Giant, would be allowed to stick around, according to the committee's report .

It comes after an alarming analysis revealed this month that 1 in 25 children aged 10 or 11 in England are now “severely obese." Meanwhile, a third of British children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school.

And the committee was quick to point out that this is an issue directly relating to poverty and inequality.

“Obesity rates are highest for children from the most disadvantaged communities and this unacceptable health inequality has widened every year since records began,” said Dr Sarah Wollaston, Conservative MP and chair of the committee. “The consequences for these children are appalling and this can no longer be ignored.”

Read the full article about fighting child obesity by banning cartoons by Imogen Calderwood at Global Citizen.