UK bans junk food ads online

Law update aimed at marketing targeting children

LONDON // Britain will ban junk food ads in print and on social media that are aimed at children, the advertising watchdog said yesterday.

The regulations come into effect July next year and extend a ban already in place on television ads for “high fat, salt or sugar ( HFSS) food or drink products”.

“The new restrictions will lead to a major reduction in the number of ads for HFSS food and drinks seen by children,” the committees of advertising practice (Cap) said.

Children aged between five and 15 in Britain spend more time online than watching television research showed, which is why the law was updated.

“Cap has finally listened to the voices of parents and health professionals, after years of resisting calls for stronger measures,” said Children’s Food Campaign co-ordinator Malcolm Clark.

However, campaigners want the legislation to go further still, saying it only applied to media where children made up more than 25 per cent of the audience, opening up a potential loophole. Jenny Rosborough, campaign manager at Action on Sugar, called for restrictions on television programmes such as talent shows, which are popular with children but exempt because they are not children’s programming.

“We need to see bans on advertising go further,” she said. The change was “a major shift fully supported” by the industry, said the head of Food And Drink Federation Iain Wright.

Britain is also planning a sugar tax on soft drinks, which it says will help reduce levels of obesity.

The plan has been met with opposition from businesses in the sector.

Britain has some of the worst obesity rates in Europe.

The latest official figures for England from 2014 show that 31.2 per cent of children aged between two and 15 were overweight or obese.