I went down to the field on Sunday and I couldn’t even get in because of the number of cars there.” Do we really need to entice children to want these products more and pester their parents to buy them? It is time for regulation to curtail the industry’s unhealthy habits.” Since then her fields have been decorated with depictions of Santa Claus, Pikachu and DC Thomson’s own Desperate Dan. Decorated straw bales prove popular

The health groups are urging the government to ban the use of TV and film characters to market unhealthy products to children, and to make “traffic light” nutrition labelling compulsory. In the biggest survey of its kind to date, Action on Sugar, Action on Salt and the Children’s Food Campaign found 51% of the more than 500 food and drink products assessed did not meet the health requirements to advertise on TV during children’s programmes, or on the Transport for London network. An Angus farmer has added a splash of colour to her fields this harvest season by painting classic Disney characters on her straw bales. Kinnerton Confectionery declined to comment on the findings. Bazooka Candy Brands International, the manufacturer of Peppa Pig Candy Bites, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Peppa Pig Candy Bites were singled out for containing 99% sugar. Kinnerton’s Paw Patrol mini chocolate bars, which are more than 60% sugar and 17% saturated fat, were also among the worst offenders: one 12g bar would provide a four- to six-year-old with 38% of their maximum daily recommended intake for sugar.