ADS JUNKED
Junk food ads will be BANNED before 9pm and online in bid to tackle childhood obesity
Health chiefs predict the move will strip 7.2billion calories a year from kids’ diets.
JUNK food ads will be banned from TV before 9pm and axed entirely online in a bid to tackle childhood obesity.
Ministers will today unveil the new law, set to kick in from October 1, 2025.
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It will restrict ads for products high in fat, salt, or sugar to post-watershed slots on TV, while banning all paid-for junk food advertising online for chains such as McDonald’s.
Health chiefs predict the move will strip 7.2billion calories a year from kids’ diets.
They say it will prevent 20,000 cases of obesity and slash rates of diet-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Obesity robs our kids of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, and costs the NHS billions.
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"This government is taking action now to end the targeting of junk food ads at kids, across both TV and online.
“This is the first step to deliver a major shift in the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention — and towards meeting our government’s ambition to give every child a healthy start.”
The legislation includes exemptions for baby formula, medicinal drinks and approved meal replacements.
The ban stems from a 2021 pledge by the Tories, but was delayed to give businesses more time to adjust.
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However, critics hit out at the move, with the Institute of Economic Affairs branding it “bad news for broadcasters, online platforms and their users”.
The IEA’s Chris Snowdon said: “Every other anti-obesity policy has failed, including the sugar tax and mandatory calorie labelling, and I see no reason why this will be any different.”
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