UK 'to ban junk food advertising online and on TV before 9pm'

Kit Heren24 July 2020

Boris Johnson is set to bring in sweeping new measures to cut the amount of junk food advertising Brits are exposed to, according to reports.

The new rules would see adverts for unhealthy food high in fat, sugar or salt banned before the 9pm watershed on TV and online - and could come in as soon as Sunday or the start of next week.

Obesity is thought to make Covid-19 symptoms worse, and Mr Johnson is said to have been shaken by his own close call with the virus, the Guardian reported.

This would be a change of stance after he previously criticised the sugar tax as a "sin stealth tax". The Prime Minister said in June that British people "will be happier, fitter and more resistant to diseases like Covid if we can tackle obesity."

Boris Johnson
Sky News

The UK has one of the highest obesity rates in the world and the highest coronavirus death rate in Europe, although adverts for unhealthy food are already subject to heavy restrictions.

Care minister Helen Whately this morning said she couldn't confirm the ban would happen, but added the Government was considering the policy.

She told Sky News: "We do need to tackle obesity as a nation, we do need to be healthier. We know it's not easy to make healthy choices and the Government is going to want to help people."

Campaigners praised the proposed move as a step in the right direction.

Katharine Jenner, campaign director at pressure group Action on Sugar, said: "If the Government’s soon to be released obesity plan is to be effective – four years after Chapter 1 was officially published – then there needs to be real joined up policies, including a complete ban on heavily promoting and discounting junk food, alongside no junk food adverts before 9pm, calorie reformulation, and only making healthier, more nutritious food more affordable."

But industry and business leaders have slammed the proposed move, drawing attention to the impact the ban could have on companies already struggling under the strain caused by coronavirus.

Stephen Woodford, of the Advertising Association, a trade body for the industry, said the move would have "a significant economic impact at a time when the economy is already under strain."

He added: "The government must reconsider any proposals which could damage the recovery, jobs, and people’s livelihoods, just at the very moment everyone is working so hard to recover."

TV broadcasters have previously said that a ban on junk food advertising before 9pm could cost them up to £200 million in revenue each year.

Industry leaders have criticised the proposed move 
PA

Phil Smith, Director General of ISBA, another advertising trade body, said: “Brands have partnered effectively with government over the lockdown period to support, develop and amplify public health campaigns as well as safeguard and support employees.

"Just as business begins to chart a course back from the severe impacts of Covid-19, such an ill-thought out policy cuts across Treasury efforts to support the sector and risks jobs and livelihoods."

Critics also drew attention to research that suggested that an advertising ban on junk food might not have a huge impact on people's health.

Daniel Pryor of the right-wing think tank the Adam Smith Institute said: "Banning junk food ads before watershed would give us worse TV and do nothing to improve the nation's health.

"A large body of evidence shows that advertising doesn't brainwash us into buying things we don't want. Instead it works by boosting specific brands, like encouraging people who fancy a takeaway to choose Wagamama over Nando's...

"Public health nannies might want to treat us all like brainwashed children, but we should reject them and their half-baked nonsense."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in