Go !! - Oliver roasts junk-food junkies

[Guest guest]

Parents who let kids have crisps and soft drinks are "areseholes and tossers," says the celebrity chef.

Oliver, the television chef famous for his crusade to improve school dinners, has lashed out at parents over the food they give to their children.

Speaking at the launch of his new TV program, Oliver said 70 per cent of packed lunches in Britain were "disgraceful" and he would like to see them banned.

He said the decisions parents made regarding the diets of their children were sometimes just plain wrong.

"I've spent two years being politically correct about parents but it's time to say, if you're giving your young kids fizzy drinks, you're an arsehole and a tosser," Oliver said.

"If you give them bags of crisps, you're an idiot. If you aren't cooking them a hot meal, sort it out."

Oliver said head teachers were too frightened of some parents to tell them what they should give their child to bring to school.

He was particularly critical of parents who give their children Red Bull - an energy drink - when they are tired, saying it was not much better than giving them a line of cocaine.

Oliver's new program, 's Return to School Dinners, is a follow-up to his successful series on improving school meals.

- Reuters