Advertisements of junk food on TV are to be banned from airing before the 9pm watershed as part of the government’s drive to improve public health, the Labour government has confirmed in Commons on Thursday (12).
In addition, online ads for products that are high in fat, salt and sugar will be banned altogether. Andrew Gwynne, the public health minister, told the Commons that both measures will come into force on Oct 1 2025.
Gwynne told MPs in a written ministerial statement that Labour was taking action because of widespread concern about the number of children in England who are overweight.
“We want to tackle the problem head on and that includes implementing the restrictions on junk food advertising on TV and online without further delay. We will introduce a 9pm watershed on TV advertising, and a total ban on paid-for online advertising.
“These restrictions will help protect children from being exposed to advertising of less healthy food and drinks, which evidence shows influences their dietary preferences from a young age.
“More than one in five children in England are overweight or living with obesity by the time they start primary school, and this rises to more than one-third by the time they leave,” he said. “We want to tackle the problem head on, and that incudes implementing the restrictions on junk food advertising on TV and online without further delay.”
The previous, Conservative government pledged to bring in the TV watershed ban from January 2023. But a month before its introduction, Rishi Sunak decided to delay it until 2025. Boris Johnson, one of Sunak’s predecessors, had planned to implement the same measure. But he too put off plans to do so to help families deal with the cost of living crisis.
The pre-watershed ban was a pledge in Labour's manifesto during this year's general election campaign.
The government has now published its response to a 2022 consultation on draft measures for the ban, confirming definitions for the products, businesses and services covered by the restrictions.
Under the proposals, there is a two-stage approach for defining a product that is considered "less healthy" for the purposes of the restrictions. This was originally referred to as products "high in fat, salt or sugar".
In response to the 2022 consultation, the government said it recognised the need for greater clarity on the scope of the restrictions. It said further guidance will be provided to explain product categories, with clearer examples of which food and drink items fall within each category.
A number of items will be exempt from the new restrictions as they are already subject to separate regulations. This includes baby formula, processed cereal-based foods for infants, diet replacement products, medicinal drinks and approved meal replacement products.
Gwynne said the government would also hold a four-week targeted consultation to then be able to clarify how restrictions would apply to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), which delivers TV live over the internet.
