The Government's strategy for tackling childhood obesity has been criticised as "confused" and "dithering" by an influential group of MPs.
Departments have been slow to react to the worsening problem, and efforts to work with the food industry to change the way unhealthy products are marketed have failed, according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
It also insisted parents should be informed if their offspring are overweight, and called for the appointment of a high-profile figure to "champion" the battle against obesity.
The departments of Health, Education and Culture, Media and Sport, set a joint target three years ago to halt the increase in obesity among under-11s by 2011. But PAC chairman Edward Leigh said the problem was "alarming" and a "clear direction" of policy was still needed.
"It is lamentable that, long after the target was set, there is still so much dithering and confusion and still so little co-ordination," he added.
The committee's investigation found there was a "complex" chain for combating childhood obesity which involved 26 different bodies, and suffered from "confusion over roles and responsibilities".
Parents were still not being engaged, and a public information campaign was only finally being launched this year.
"The departments' strategy of working alongside the food industry to influence its approach to the marketing of foods and drinks that are high in fat, salt and sugar has not been successful in changing the way the majority of unhealthy foods are marketed," it found.
The Department of Health had also not provided clarity on whether, when and how parents should be told their offspring are overweight, according to the committee.
Mr Leigh said: "If a primary school finds that a child is overweight or obese, then the parents must be informed. To do otherwise would be to keep parents in the dark about possible serious health risks to their children. The Department of Health must decide on the best way of giving this information to parents who are central to efforts to solve this problem."
