UK government gets tough with HFSS advertising

This time next year the UK faces a total ban on junk food adverts online, while TV ads for high fat, salt and sugar food (HFSS) will be limited to after the 9pm watershed.

The Government has also said it will require large out-of-home sector businesses with 250 or more employees to calorie label the food they sell.

Why it matters 

The plans were announced today in the Queen’s Speech and form part of legislation the government intends to enact in a Health and Care Bill. This is aimed at tackling obesity which is thought to have been a factor adding to the pandemic death toll. 

Industry reaction

Reactions, predictably, depended on where the speaker was coming from – being welcomed by anti-obesity campaigners and condemned by those in the advertising and food industries, which argued that the moves would have little effect, based on the Government’s own figures.

• “If implemented fully… these landmark policies will stem the flood of unhealthy food and drink adverts, opening up opportunities for more healthier foods to be advertised” – Caroline Cerny, alliance lead at Obesity Health Alliance.
• “This Government is interested in headline-chasing policy rather than making serious interventions that will help reduce obesity rates” – Kate Halliwell, chief scientific officer, The Food and Drink Federation.
• “The advertising sector is a proven engine of the UK economy, and we would urge ministers not to damage the jobs and tax revenue it creates. Beyond these direct benefits, the UK’s world-leading advertising sector also underpins the success of the food and drink industry – itself the UK’s largest manufacturing sector” – joint statement from ISBA, IAB UK, IPA and the Advertising Association.

Sourced from UK Government, ISBA, the i