New regulations come into force Monday in Britain banning daytime TV and online adverts for so-called junk foods, in what the government calls a “world-leading action” to tackle childhood obesity.<\/p>\n
The ban — targeting ads for products high in fat, salt or sugar — is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year, according to the health ministry.<\/p>\n
Impacting ads airing before the 9:00pm watershed and anytime online, it will reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver around \u00a32 billion ($2.7 bln) in health benefits, the ministry added.<\/p>\n
The implementation of the measure — first announced in December 2024 — follows other recent steps, including an extended sugar tax on pre-packaged items like milkshakes, ready-to-go coffees and sweetened yoghurt drinks.<\/p>\n
Local authorities have also been given the power to stop fast food shops setting up outside schools.<\/p>\n
The government argues evidence shows advertising influences what and when children eat, shaping preferences from a young age and increasing the risk of obesity and related illnesses.<\/p>\n
It notes 22 percent of children starting primary schooling in England — typically aged around five — are overweight or obese, rising to more than a third by the time they progress to secondary schools aged 11.<\/p>\n
Tooth decay is the leading cause of UK hospital admissions for young children, typically aged five to nine, according to officials.<\/p>\n
“By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods,” health minister Ashley Dalton said in a statement.<\/p>\n
He added the move was part of a strategy to make the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) focus on preventing as well as treating sickness, “so people can lead healthier lives”.<\/p>\n
Katharine Jenner, executive director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said it was “a welcome and long-awaited step towards better protecting children from unhealthy food and drink advertising that can harm their health and wellbeing”.<\/p>\n
The charity Diabetes UK also welcomed the ads ban, with its chief executive, Colette Marshall, noting that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in young people.<\/p>\n
“Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and the condition can lead to more severe consequences in young people — leaving them at risk of serious complications like kidney failure and heart disease,” she added.<\/p>\n
jj\/jh<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Agence France-Presse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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