Junk food ads to be banned before 9pm on TV, government announces

Honey, avocados and Marmite exempted from restrictions designed to reduce child obesity

Junk food ads will be banned before 9pm on TV, but loopholes will allow brands to continue to advertise online, under new rules announced by the government.

The ban, to come into force at the end of 2022 as part of a drive to cut child obesity, will outlaw daytime and early-evening TV slots for foods high in fat, salt and sugar and bar paid-for advertising on the internet.

But brands will be able to carry on promoting their unhealthy products on their own blogs, websites, apps or social media pages.

The restrictions will apply only to businesses with 250 or more employees and will allow continued advertising for foods deemed to be less harmful despite high fat, salt or sugar content, such as honey, olive oil, avocados and Marmite.

Public health minister Jo Churchill said the measures could remove 7 billion calories from children’s diets nationally each year, reducing the number of obese children by more than 20,000 over the coming years.

But Labour said the ban will not be enough to turn round what shadow public health minister Alex Norris said was an “obesity crisis”.

“We need decisive action from the government,” said Mr Norris. “Labour has pushed for four years for a ban on junk food advertising, which has been repeatedly kicked into the long grass by ministers.

“This ban alone will not be enough. We need a radical obesity strategy in this country that goes further, ensuring families are able to access healthy food, supporting local leisure facilities and tackling child poverty.”

And Chris Daly, CEO at the Chartered Institute of Marketing, warned that the short timeframe for change would cost the industry millions as brands switch from TV to radio and online ads.

“Clarity on the government’s intentions is to be welcomed, but the timeline of implementation is too short and will cost marketers and manufacturers millions in wasted planning time,” said Mr Daly.

“Professional marketers plan years in advance, and the changes announced today will require creative and media buying plans to be torn up as product advertising pre-watershed is swapped with further investment in radio and online advertising.”

The government estimates that children saw around 2.9 billion ads for unhealthy food on TV and 11 billion online in 2019 and hopes that restricting exposure will encourage them to make healthier food choices and help them developing conditions associated with excess weight later in life, such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, colorectal cancer, liver disease and breast cancer.

The ban was introduced following a public consultation in which 79 per cent supported a 9pm TV watershed and 74 per cent backed advertising restrictions online.

Ms Churchill said: “We are committed to improving the health of our children and tackling obesity. The content youngsters see can have an impact on the choices they make and habits they form. With children spending more time online it is vital we act to protect them from unhealthy advertising.

“These measures form another key part of our strategy to get the nation fitter and healthier by giving them the chance to make more informed decisions when it comes to food.

“We need to take urgent action to level up health inequalities. This action on advertising will help to wipe billions off the national calorie count and give our children a fair chance of a healthy lifestyle.”