School going children have developed a culture of taking junk foods in the name of fast food although such junk foods that contain excessive fat and carbohydrate are bad for health. At a discussion with the school going children at the University Laboratory School and College in the city yesterday, experts said that readymade food, which is mostly sold in the fast food shops contain little protein, vitamin and minerals. Rather the foods prepared with Hydrogenated oil contain excessive carbohydrate and fat that leads to obesity. It also increases the risk of high blood pressure, cardiac diseases and cancer afterwards. Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) organised the discussion titled 'Lunch Box Challenge' with the children to make them aware of these fast foods and to encourage them taking home made food even as tiffin in the school. The experts said that due to eye-catching advertisements and taste, children love to take junk foods instead of homemade food, which is more nutritious and healthy and less costlier than the fast foods. Prof Hossain Uddin Shekher of Dhaka University said cost does not determine the nutrient value of a food. "If children take junk food, gradually they become addicted to it. It leads to appetite loss and gradually slows down their brain development,' he said adding that children should be habituated to take fresh fruits and vegetables. Due to showy advertisements, children have already started to consider these fast foods as a symbol of modern life and they are forcing their parents to provide them with these foods. In 2006 World Health Organisation (WHO) at its report titled 'Marketing of Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages to Children' showed that the advertisements of these fast foods have direct impact on children. They want to eat more junk food, which only results in obesity. Kazi Faroque of Consumers' Association of Bangladesh, Kazi Fazlul Haque, Nutritionist Zahidur Rahman and principal of the school were also present on the occasion. The World Consumers' Rights Day was observed on Saturday with the theme 'Junk Food Generation: CI's Campaign to Stop Marketing of Unhealthy Food to Children.' The Consumers International (CI) urged all parents to be watchful of the food habit of their children and monitor what they are taking as their school tiffin.