Children will no longer be exposed to TV adverts for junk food products as new law set out confirms the final details of advertising restrictions. Ads on television will only be allowed past the 9pm watershed from October 2025 as part of plans to curb childhood obesity.
Fulfilling a key manifesto commitment for this government and supporting the pledge to give every child the best and healthiest start in life, the advertising restrictions will also include a ban on paid online junk food adverts to reduce children’s excessive exposure to many foods high in fat, sugar or salt and helping to address rising rates of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Guidance has also been published to provide more detail on which food or drink categories will be covered by the regulations – giving industry the final details needed to prepare for the regulations coming into force next year. 7.2 billion calories per year are expected to be removed from UK children’s diets as a result of the measures, preventing an estimated 20,000 cases of childhood obesity.
Source – Gov.uk