Porridge and crumpets branded 'junk food' under new UK ad ban
3 December 2024, 18:22 | Updated: 4 December 2024, 13:36
Adverts for porridge and crumpets will be banned under new advertising rules for junk food in the UK.
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The ban, which comes into effect next year, will see Pitta bread, rice cakes, tea and coffee with added sugar as well as breakfast cereal seen as “unhealthy” banned before 9pm in a bid to cut down on child obesity.
Ministers believe it will remove 7.2 billion calories a year from UK children's diets, in turn reducing child obesity cases by 20,000.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "Obesity robs our kids of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, and costs the NHS billions.
"This Government is taking action now to end the targeting of junk food ads at kids, across both TV and online.
"This is the first step to deliver a major shift in the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention, and towards meeting our Government's ambition to give every child a healthy, happy start to life."
The government laid out the scope of the new measures on Tuesday as it outlined the products set to be banned from daytime TV, including ready meals, pasta, granola, cereals fizzy soft drinks, ice cream and pizza.
Salty snacks like crisps, poppadoms and salted popcorn will also be banned from children’s screens.
However, speaking with Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Labour MP Heidi Alexander suggested a rethink was in order following a backlash over a number of items - including porridge, on the list.
Pushed by Nick on the suggestion porridge was an odd choice to apply the 'junk food' label too, the MP conceded: "basic porridge oats won’t be banned”.
Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander | 04/12/24
NHS data shows a trend of rising childhood obesity, with almost one in 10 reception-aged children (9.2%) now living with obesity and one in five by the age of five (23.7%) suffering tooth decay because of excess sugar consumption.
David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, said: "We are pleased the Government is to bring in legislation to restrict the advertising of unhealthy foods targeted at children and young people.
"Childhood obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges we face. However, any efforts to tackle the causes of obesity need to be part of a whole systems approach.
"Greater powers for councils to tackle the clustering of takeaways and restricting junk food advertising near schools, alongside extra investment in council-run programmes such as those promoting physical activity and healthy weight can help play an essential part in helping to curb child obesity."
