David, 8, Cooper, 13, with mum Justine and grandad Kris aren't fans of an end to fast food sponsorship in sport.

The Government's looking to ask "Big Food" companies to stop sponsoring sport.

It's a move to tackle soaring obesity rates, alongside calorie counts on restaurant menus.

The proposals were contained in a "wish list" released to Stuff under the Official Information Act.

Fast food giants Burger King, McDonald's, and KFC sponsor rugby, basketball, football, and cricket. Sanitarium runs the Weetbix Tryathlon, and Nestlé is a sponsor of junior rugby through its Milo drink. Netball is sponsored by mall chain Muffin Break.

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Since March, the Government has partnered with 16 food industry retailers and manufacturers to establish a task force on the weight problem.

But the task force was kept in the dark over the proposals, contained in a briefing to Health Minister David Clark and Food Safety Minister Damien O'Connor.

JOHN COWPLAND Former All Black Marc Ellis says adult sport needed the money, but keep fast food chains away from junior sport sponsorship.

It suggests there is "potential for Government to discourage sponsorship of sporting teams or events by brands associated with less healthy products." This was to be done either in agreement with national sporting organisations, or voluntarily by the food and drink industry.

Also on the cards was "menu board labelling", where fast food, quick service outlets and coffee shops print calorie information for each item. It's popular in the US and Asia and is currently being rolled out in some Australian states.

Clark said the document was "an early briefing which canvassed a wide range potential interventions." He emphasised the proposals were voluntary and were not "under active development at this point."

"The Food Industry Taskforce is just one component of a wider comprehensive programme of interventions that the Government is considering in its response to rising rates of obesity," Clark said.

"The discussions the Minister of Food Safety and I had with the industry were pitched at a high level and did not go into the details of specific interventions."

Former All Black Marc Ellis, who owned a fruit drink company after his retirement from ruby, had used sponsorship to promote his fruit juice brand. He said commercial sponsorship of professional, adult sport was a must, "and we can't afford to be particularly choosy".

Where he did have a concern was with big brands effectively plying kids with sugar through school and junior sports sponsorship.

He could not see any harm in products like Weetbix, "although how-many-can-you-eat" messages were testing the boundaries.

Fynn Hawes has a shot at goal in a McDonald's sponsored football gear. His mum is on the fence about sponsorship.

Fynn Hawes, 12, was able to train at Stadium 2000 in Blenheim, thanks to McDonald's sponsorship of Marlborough Football.

Like other parents, his mum Vicky Hawes was torn over whether sport should accept the money from fast food sponsors, or try to send a healthy-eating message to children.

Hawes, who is a teacher, understood the thinking in asking fast food companies to pull back from sponsorship. "It's a bob each way really.

"The sponsorship hasn't worked on us: we, ourselves, don't go to McDonald's and the kids don't ask to go.

"But I know it's not the same situation for other families – I can see the detrimental effect of putting fast food in front of children's eyes all the time."

Katherine Rich, chief executive of the Food and Grocery Council said the behind-the-scenes wish list was a "surprise". Her industry association represents manufacturers and suppliers, grocery and big name brands like Mars, Nestle, and Heinz Watties.

The Council acts as the secretariat to the task force, which was formed out of a series of meetings between Clark and 16 food companies, with a brief to "recommend practical initiatives that could contribute to addressing obesity."

She said sports sponsorship wasn't mentioned in the meetings with Ministers. "The whole process has been 'industry come up with your ideas and we will see if they are good enough'.

"I don't recall menu boards ever being mentioned either. Things like calorie counts can be done, but will they make a difference? The jury is out."

SUPPLIED Katherine Rich, chief executive of the Food and Grocery Council, an industry association manufacturers and suppliers

Rich said food industry chief executives were taking the issue seriously.

"Obviously, there is an expectation on the food industry to do more and we completely understand that, but I would say that this has been a journey for our members for the last decade ... each of them have looked at their products and said how can we make them better, adding fibre, lowering salt, lowering fat and sugar."

JASON DORDAY/STUFF Health Minister Dr David Clark wants manufacturers to reduce sugar content

NO ARGUING WITH FAST FOOD CHAINS

It's Saturday afternoon. Cooper, 13, has been swimming, and his eight-year-old brother David has played a game of rugby. To celebrate, their grandad Kris takes them out to McDonald's in Balmoral, Auckland.

Despite the Government looking to ask fast-food companies to stop sports sponsorships, Kris wouldn't want the sponsorship "axed" from sports teams – it could be hard for them to find money elsewhere, he says.

"I think it's pointless, there are not a lot of little companies and cafes that sports teams could go to to ask for money from," he says.

McDonald's and fast food are a "treat" for Cooper and his family.

"I know obesity and diabetes is a big issue in New Zealand so it's a big problem," Cooper says.

The Government has established a Food Industry taskforce to reduced soaring levels of obesity.

But if fast food was eaten in moderation it could be OK, he suggests; it's only if he eats it too often that it could be an issue.

Cooper also thinks having calorie counts on the food might be a good idea.

His mum Justine doesn't particularly like fast food, but says it's hard to argue with, if they've got the money to sponsor teams.

- additional reporting Janine Rankin, Catrin Owen