Johnson wages war on junk food ads in bid to tackle UK obesity
Boris Johnson is set to announce sweeping measures to overhaul junk food advertising in the UK, which could include a 9pm watershed on TV adverts.
The Prime Minister’s long-awaited obesity strategy, which could be announced as soon as next week, will likely involve a ban on online advertising of unhealthy foods, a 9pm watershed on junk food TV adverts, and strict curbs on in-store promotions.
The shake-up will form one of the most restrictive marketing regimes in the UK’s history that will likely have a profound effect on the way brands and retail stores sell unhealthy food.
Buy one get one free offers may face an outright ban, and restaurant chains may be expected to display calorie counts on menus. Ministers are also discussing a ban on sweets and chocolate being promoted at the end of supermarket aisles or at tills.
Food and drinks with high levels of sugar or salt are likely to require prominent labelling, and The Prime Minister wants to launch a consultation on putting calorie labels on alcoholic drinks.
Johnson has previously voiced his resistance to so-called sin taxes, which seek to dissuade customers from buying unhealthy foods by driving up prices.
However, it is thought the coronavirus crisis has shocked the Prime Minister into action on the issue of obesity, which has been proven to increase the mortality rate among those infected with Covid-19.
Britain is the second-fattest nation in Europe behind Malta, with 64 per cent of adults and 30 per cent of children either overweight or obese.
Johnson, who was put in intensive care after catching the virus, believes his own weight contributed to his health scare.
Ministers are currently finalising the new obesity strategy, but government sources have stressed that some elements are still boeing negotiated, the Telegraph reported.
Since 2007, junk food ads that appeal to children have been banned from being broadcasted on TV during programmes. Targeting children online, in print and in cinemas is also banned.
Commercial broadcasters have warned that an outright ban on advertising fatty, salty or sugary foods will cause huge financial disruption, while they are already suffering from a slump in advertising revenue during the coronavirus crisis.
Brinsley Dresden, partner at law firm Lewis Silkin, said: “The proposed ban on so-called junk food advertising is not evidence based policy, but a knee jerk reaction by the Prime Minister to his personal experiences.
“The cost of the ban will be borne by struggling broadcasters and advertisers, but it will serve no useful purpose. It will have no meaningful impact on obesity. It only serves as a policy fig leaf for the government.”
Television executives have estimated that a ban would affect around £200m of ad spending across the sector, the Financial Times reported.
Meanwhile, advertisers have voiced concerns that the fresh curbs will affect both big and small companies, from fast food giants such as McDonald’s down to small manufacturers.
“Brands have partnered effectively with government over the lockdown period to support, develop and amplify public health campaigns,” said Phil Smith, chief executive of ISBA, which represents leading UK advertisers.
“Just as business begins to chart a course back from the severe impacts of Covid-19, such an ill-thought out policy cuts across Treasury efforts to support the sector and risks jobs and livelihoods.”
Stephen Woodford, the chief executive of the Advertising Association, said the government’s own research had shown that “such restrictions would have minimal impact on obesity levels”.