The television ad shows a child eating a Fruit Gushers snack, his head morphing into a wedge of watermelon through the magic of special effects.

It's one of the reasons the NDP wants a ban on food and drink advertising aimed at children younger than 13 as a way to improve children's eating habits and reduce skyrocketing obesity rates, diabetes and other diseases.

"That's particularly deceptive ... You think this is healthy," New Democrat MPP Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina) said of the ad screened yesterday as he proposed his private member's bill to amend the Consumer Protection Act.

He acknowledged the bill would also ban advertising of healthy foods, but said the proliferation of ads for "calorie dense and nutrient poor" foods warrants serious action.

"We are losing the battle against childhood obesity. This is one step we can take."

While she didn't endorse the bill outright, Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best called it a "welcome" way to stir public debate.

"It's new, we're going to think about it," she told reporters, noting the government is banning junk food and trans fats in schools and mounting an aggressive anti-smoking campaign for youth.

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