Former Chancellor George Osborne ‘disappointed’ by government delay on junk food advert ban
Former Chancellor George Osborne has said he would extend a sugar levy and dubbed it “disappointing” that marketing restrictions on junk food have not yet been introduced.
The former Tory politician said it was “very disappointing” that restrictions on advertising food products with high fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) contents have been delayed.
A ban on advertising overly sugary food pre-watershed on the television has been pushed back until 2025, representing the second postponement of the policy.
The ban was originally set to be introduced from January 2023, in addition to restrictions in physical supermarket stores on ‘buy one get one free’ deals.
Some restrictions for product placement in shops were introduced in October of this year while a ban on multi-buy promotions is now set to come into force in October 2023.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, George Osborne said that if he was still in government he “would actually go ahead with that ban on advertising.”
“I think that’s been well-versed now for many years and I think that would be a good thing,” he explained.
Osborne also said he would extend a levy on sugary products to other unhealthy items, on a programme guest edited by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
“And as someone who’s a member of the Conservative Party, Conservatives should not be afraid of sensible use of government to improve people’s health because by the way that also reduces dependency on public services down the road.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The government takes tackling obesity seriously. Having a fit and healthy population is essential for a thriving economy and we will continue to work closely with industry to make it easier for people to make healthier choices.
“Last month, for example, we announced £20m to trial new obesity treatments and technologies to help save the NHS billions.
“We remain committed to introducing restrictions banning adverts on TV for foods and drinks high in fat, salt, or sugar before 9pm, as well as paid-for adverts online.”