Children still exposed to junk food ads

♦ Children are being exposed to high levels of junk food advertising because they watch television outside the traditional children’s viewing time, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Half the food and drink adverts seen by children are for products high in fat, salt or sugar or for fast food restaurants, according to its research.

Junk food advertising has been banned on children’s television since 2007 but the study found 70 per cent of campaigns for junk food, restaurants and bars were screened before the 9pm watershed. Evidence from Ofcom suggests that 87 per cent of junk food advertising seen by children aged four to 15 in 2015 was during evening programming. It adds fuel to calls to extend current advertising restrictions to cover all pre-watershed scheduling.

But Stephen Woodford, of the Advertising Association, said bans would not be effective but would have an impact on quality content and jobs.