Health Minister Yaakov Litzman said he would crack down on fast food and other causes of heart disease as he launched Israel's first serious anti-obesity campaign earlier this month.

In a speech to the Israeli Cardiologists Association, Mr Litzman, a United Torah Judaism member, said: "McDonald's out! We don't need to eat junk food."

Some commentators claimed Mr Litzman only singled out McDonald's because, in its early days of operating in Israel in the mid-90s, none of its branches were under kashrut supervision.

McDonald's Israeli franchise responded with details of its new healthier menu and pointed out that most of its branches in Israel are now kosher.

Mr Litzman has ordered the Health Ministry to launch a national commission to consider new regulations for the food industry, with a view towards slashing sugar and unhealthy fats and creating more comprehensive labelling on products. The large food producers, including - significantly - the soft-drink companies, are major players in the Israeli economy and have successfully lobbied against new regulations in the past.