The Walt Disney Company will become the first U.S. media giant to ban junk food advertising on its radio and television networks, and on its Internet website.

The company announced Tuesday that starting in 2015, it will eliminate commercials for candy, salty snacks and sugary cereals. Instead, Disney programming will promote diets rich in fruits and vegetables, and limit calories, fat and sugar.

Menus at Disney theme parks will feature “Mickey Checks” — pictures of Mickey Mouse that will highlight healthy foods.

First lady Michelle Obama, who is leading a national crusade against childhood obesity, calls Disney's new policy a “game changer” for the health of American children.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 percent of children in the United States are obese — triple the rate of a generation ago — in part, because they consume too much junk-food.