Government blasted over ‘half-baked’ plans to ban online junk food adverts
The government has come under fire over “severe and disproportionate” proposals to roll out a total ban on online ads for junk food.
Ministers today launched a consultation on whether online ads for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) should be banned in a bid to tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity.
In a joint statement today the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said research had revealed children were exposed to over 15bn HFSS ads each year.
The government warned exposure to these campaigns could shape what children eat, both immediately after viewing an advert and by shaping longer-term habits.
“We know as children spend more time online, parents want to be reassured they are not being exposed to adverts promoting unhealthy foods, which can affect eating habits for life,” said health secretary Matt Hancock.
“This will be a world-leading measure to tackle the obesity challenges we face now but it will also address a problem that will only become more prominent in the future.”
But the plans were met with fury from advertising industry leaders, who warned a ban would do “untold harm” to businesses that are already battling the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a joint statement the heads of ISBA, the IAB, the IPA and the Advertising Association said: “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.”
The ad bosses dismissed the plans as “not even half-baked”, adding that they were a “kick in the teeth for our industry from a government which we believed was interested in prioritising economic growth alongside targeted interventions to support health and wellbeing”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put junk food ads front and centre of his anti-obesity policy, and the government is poised to ban TV promotions for unhealthy food before 9pm.
Johnson has been vocal in his opposition for so-called sin taxes, viewing them as unnecessary government interventions in personal choices.
But the prime minister — who has said his own weight played a role in his admission to intensive care earlier this year — has changed tack in light of the coronavirus crisis.
The consultation, which will run for six weeks, will gather views from the public and industry to understand the impact and challenges of a full ban.