Joined Up Government...

So, on the one hand, we are all to be given smaller portions of junk food to prevent us gorging ourselves.

Yet, on the other hand:

Like many toddlers Zak Hessey was a 'fussy eater' who regularly refused his mother's healthy home cooking.

Concerned about his falling weight, his worried parents took him to see doctors for advice and triggered a shocking chain of events that led to the youngster being put into foster care for four months.

Paul and Lisa Hessey believe in the long-term benefits of healthy eating and rejected medical advice to feed their two-year-old son a diet of high-calorie snack food such as chocolate, crisps and cakes.

To their horror social workers put Zak into foster care 'to assess his needs' and allegedly threatened the couple they could lose their parental rights if they fought the decision in court.

Happily, this case found a judge with some common sense, and obviously one who could find the word 'justice' in a dictionary:

Mrs Hessey said: 'Social services did a complete about turn. They admitted that in foster care Zak was exactly the same with his food as he was at home and during that time he had put on only 250 grams in weight.

'They said we were very good parents and they didn't oppose him coming back home to where he should have been all the time. I still find it hard to come to terms with how we have been treated. We put our trust in these people and all they have done is let down Zak.'

Mr Hessey added: 'People need to be aware if they go to hospital for help this is what can happen to them and their children.'

Hard to disagree, isn't it?

When are parents like this to get some redress for the great wrong done to them by the state?