Hard-hitting adverts showing the danger of fat gathering around people’s internal organs will be used in a £275m government anti-obesity campaign.

Research by the Department of Health has found that the public perceives obesity to be a vanity problem and does not regard cakes, biscuits, burgers, chips and crisps as unhealthy. The research did, however, find that people were disgusted by the idea of fat building up around their organs.

The Change4Life campaign, to begin tomorrow with the backing of junk food companies, will use this insight in its adverts to show the public that body fat is putting it at risk of serious illness including heart disease and diabetes.

The message will be reminiscent of the shocking antismoking adverts from the British Heart Foundation showing how cigarettes clog up the arteries. More recently, adverts have shown the internal damage that can be caused in car crashes to those not wearing seatbelts.

M&C Saatchi, the firm designing the obesity adverts, has found that graphic images of oozing fat prompt a reaction from parents unaware of the amount of unhealthy oils in junk food. When they were confronted with a picture of fat coming out of a roast joint, the parents’ reaction was: “That’s disgusting”, but when shown images of junk food containing high levels of saturated fat, they failed to make the connection.

Cadbury, Kraft, Nestlé, Mars and Coca-Cola are among 34 companies who have pledged £200m to the campaign, which the department is describing as a “lifestyle revolution”.

As part of the strategy, one supermarket chain will cut the prices of its fruit and vegetables. Another company will fund breakfast clubs in deprived areas to ensure all children eat what nutritionists believe is the most important meal of the day.

The government will also announce which English local authorities are to become “healthy living” centres. The towns will be given a total of £30m to create more parks and cycle paths to make it easier for residents to keep fit.

The antiobesity campaigner Tam Fry, chairman of the Child Growth Foundation, said sponsorship by junk food firms was welcome, provided it was a genuine attempt to deal with poor diet, rather than sell more chocolate bars.

He said: “If these companies have realised that we have got to tackle the problem, then I welcome their support. If they use this as a means of kowtowing to government and pushing up sales, that would be disappointing.”

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