The government has faced fresh criticism for delaying its plans to ban ads for foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) from being shown ahead of the 9pm watershed.
Though the pre-watershed ad ban was originally meant to be implemented in January 2023, the ban will now not come into effect until 2025.
In September, former prime minister Liz Truss highlighted her plans to scrap all anti-obesity strategies and cancel planned restrictions on pre-watershed HFSS ads. Now current prime minister Rishi Sunak has decided to delay the plans even further.
“Delaying junk food advertising restrictions is a shocking move by the government, with no valid justification to do so, other than giving a flimsy excuse that businesses need more time to prepare and reformulate,” Obesity Health Alliance director Katharine Jenner said.
“What other evidence does our Prime Minister need not to delay implementing key obesity policies? Research shows restricting junk food adverts on TV and online would significantly reduce the number of children with excess weight.
“This is the action of a government that seems to care more about its own short-term political health than the longer-term health of children. We urge Rishi Sunak to reverse this attack on child health and to shorten the delay to 2024, to at least give children a better chance to grow up healthy.”
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British Medical Association (BMA) chair of the board of science, Professor David Strain, added: “For years we have set out the evidence as clearly as we can that the current advertising restrictions are not fit for purpose, and are not protecting children and young people from excessive marketing influence. Moreover the public agree with us, with 74% of people supporting a watershed to stop junk food adverts being shown before 9pm on TV and online.”
Diabetes UK CEO Chris Askew has also branded the HFSS ad ban delay as “disgraceful”.
“This measure is part of a vital toolkit to rebalance health inequalities, and these delays directly undermine the government’s own commitments to halving childhood obesity by 2030 and improving the nation’s health,” Askew said.
“The environment around us heavily influences our food choices, and in delaying the junk food marketing ban, the government is giving companies the green light to continue to bombard children with adverts for foods high in fat, salt and sugar, making it needlessly difficult to choose healthy options.
“The government’s shameful decision to delay these vital measures means that people living in the most deprived areas will continue to be pushed towards unhealthy options, further entrenching the health inequalities that exist in rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity in England.”
