United Kingdom bans advertising for junk food

A strict ban on junk food ads is coming into force in the United Kingdom. Before 9 p.m., television stations will no longer be allowed to broadcast advertisements for unhealthy foods and drinks, and online advertising will be banned altogether.

One in three British children is obese

The government wants to reduce childhood obesity and help parents “raise the healthiest generation of children ever.” Health Secretary Ashley Dalton: “By restricting junk food advertising before 9 p.m. and banning paid online advertising altogether, we are reducing excessive exposure to unhealthy foods. This makes the healthy choice the easy choice for parents and children.”

The British government expects the measure to remove 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year. This should reduce the number of obese children by 20,000 per year and ultimately yield 2 billion pounds in health benefits. Currently, 22.1% of children in England are overweight or obese when they start primary school. By the time they leave primary school, that proportion rises to 35.8%.

The advertising ban is part of a broader prevention policy. The tax on sugary drinks will be extended to include sweetened milk drinks, among other things. In addition, the government will ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16. Local authorities will also be given more powers to prevent fast food outlets from opening near schools.