Health Secretary Alan Johnson has said he wants children "to live longer, healthier lives" with the launch of the Government's anti-obesity drive.

The new Change4Life initiative - involving companies such as Coca-Cola, Mars and Nestle - starts with television adverts appearing on the nation's screens.

The idea is to "kickstart a lifestyle revolution for every family" by promoting healthy eating and exercise, according to the Department of Health.

Writing for the Sun, Mr Johnson said: "In these tough economic times, families are being confronted every week with lots of difficult challenges.

"For many, eating healthily might rank fairly low on the list of priorities right now. But one of the biggest problems we face as a society - and one with the potential to cause enormous long-term harm - is obesity."

He warns that if the problem is not tackled now then by 2050 two-thirds of men and half of all women in Britain could be clinically obese, at a cost to the NHS of £50 billion.

He continued: "Our aim with this campaign could not be more ambitious - it's to make sure our children live longer, healthier lives. Let's not leave the next generation with a reduced life expectancy, along with a massive health bill that will only get bigger if we do nothing."

Firms including Cadbury, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, Kraft, Mars, Nestle and PepsiCo are all taking part alongside major supermarkets Asda, Tesco and The Co-operative Group.

People can call a dedicated helpline and speak to specially-trained advisers for advice on exercise, nutrition and support services.

A website has also been set up to bring together more than 45,000 groups and projects aimed at promoting healthy living.

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