Here in the UK Junk food adverts have been banned on television and online from Monday 5th January 2026 as part of a drive to tackle childhood obesity.
The UK-wide ban will stop food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) being advertised on TV before 21:00 and at any time online.
It applies to products considered to be the biggest drivers of childhood obesity, including soft drinks, chocolates and sweets, pizzas and ice creams.
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said it is committed to helping people eat healthily and has been voluntarily abiding by the new restrictions since October.
As well as more obviously unhealthy foods, the ban will also cover some breakfast cereals and porridges, sweetened bread products, and main meals and sandwiches.
Decisions over which products fall under the ban will be based on a scoring tool, balancing their nutrient levels against whether they are high in saturated fat, salt, or sugar.
Plain oats and most porridge, muesli and granola will not be banned under the crackdown, but some versions with added sugar, chocolate or syrup could be affected.
Firms can still promote healthier versions of banned products, which the government hopes will lead to food makers developing healthier recipes.
The ban only covers adverts in which unhealthy products can be seen by viewers, meaning fast-food firms will still be able to advertise using their brand name.
Previously, HFSS food and drink adverts were banned on any platform where more than a quarter of the audience was under 16.
Firms that do not comply with the new rules risk action by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
NHS data shows almost one in 10 (9.2%) reception-aged children (ages 4/5yrs) are now living with obesity, while one in five children have tooth decay by the age of five.
It is estimated obesity costs the NHS more than £11bn every year.
Evidence shows children's exposure to ads for unhealthy food can influence what they eat from a young age, in turn putting them at greater risk of becoming overweight or obese.
The government estimates the ad ban will prevent around 20,000 cases of childhood obesity.
Katherine Brown, professor of behaviour change in health at the University of Hertfordshire, said the ban was "long overdue and a move in the right direction".
She said: "Children are highly susceptible to aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods and exposure to them puts them at greater risk of developing obesity and associated chronic diseases."
Ms Brown called for the government to make nutritious options "more affordable, accessible and appealing".
The FDF said manufacturers are "committed to working in partnership with the government and others to help people make healthier choices".
It added: "Investing in developing healthier products has been a key priority for food and drink manufacturers for many years and as a result, our members' products now have a third of the salt and sugar and a quarter of the calories than they did ten years ago."
Words from article seen here
My thoughts ...surely it is best to eat whole fresh food from the farm or the sea. It seems the junk masquerading as food, coming out of factories has played a huge role in the epidemics of obesity and the often linked type two diabetes.
All the best Jan
31 comments:
wow!!! what a great idea!!
Dear Jan, anything that is going to help make people think before they buy or eat something that is unhealthy is good news.
It's sad that parents have failed their duty to feed their children healthy foods. Growing up, mom just didn't buy certain foods - we never had potato chips in our lunches, and there,wasn't a lot of candy in the house. I've grown up without a sweet tooth. It hasn't killed me yet! 😉
That's an interesting approach. I wish that would happen here in the US since some of those fast food ads can be pretty disgusting to me, but I know not to teenagers and kids.
This is so interesting. I have mixed feelings because I hate them saying what can and can't be advertised, but at the same time, kids are easily influenced and I feel it's not fair to them. So, I guess I think the ban is a good thing!
So, what is your opinion about that?
That is a good start! Our schools need to eliminate the vending machines that sell pop and junk food. They are turned off at lunchtime, but why are they there at all?
Es una buena medida pero tendrá efecto. Te mando un beso.
...it should happen here, but I'm doubtful.
That food ban is interesting, although unlikely that advertisers in the U.S. would agree to one.
"Children are highly susceptible" unless they have been raised to know thta such foods should be considered occasional treats not a daily diet. Before my oldest was school age she didn't even know what lollies (sweets) were. She'd seen them while we were shopping but I'd never bought any and she never asked for them.
Such a good idea! I wonder what the rules are here in Canada. I don't recall seeing many food ads, but we watch very little television.
Can we say 1984? OK don't everyone get upset. I can't speak for the UK, I don't live there. Yes, sugary foods, ice cream, granola bars, breads, cakes donuts cereal and more are not good for any one. But here products of seven crops and farm foods — corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, sorghum, milk and meat — that are heavily subsidized by the US federal government, ensuring that junk foods are cheap and plentiful. All the while making sure that whole foods are more expensive. Not enough time to go into all of it. Please read this article https://archive.nytimes.com/well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/how-the-government-supports-your-junk-food-habit/ So on one hand while the US government is preaching eat right and taking sugary food away from the SNAP program they pay to make sure they are on your table. All the while benefiting the medical industry. Pharmaceuticals making billions on weight loss meds, high blood pressure med, and so on. This mess is something our government has perpetuated and just taking it all away isn't going to fix the problem. The more you are not allowed to have something the more you want it. As far as the ban in the UK. Here in the US they did that with cigarettes and that did drop the smoking population. We can only see what will happen.
This is a great news
Well now, that is a great idea. I agree with you Jan, fresh is best and homemade meals made with fresh produce, more cooking at home and not buying all this processed stuff. I guess when both parents work they don't get a lot of time to cook, if they can indeed cook!
That sounds like a good idea. Hopefully not too many loopholes will be found by unscrupulous companies. I wish Canada would follow suit.
Will that help or make people want these even more, I am not sure. Here they forced a "Veggie-Day" at Volkswagen where I worked for as external and nearly no one went as answer... People should know by heart what is healthy and what not - it is not that difficult. One should think?
Importante aviso! Consome quem quer mas sabendo! beijos, chica
Hello,
It sounds like a good idea! Take care, enjoy your day!
When we were in Alaska, our friends, who were older, would get Native food sent from the village. Their kids wanted McDonald's sent from town to village. When we were camping across the northern US, in soe very rural grocery stores, things like apples were quite expensive. Pork rinds were cheap--and these were poor areas. All this pseudo-food is clearly not good for humans in the quantities being consumed, so hopefully this will help!
Thumbs up! It's great that Great Britain did this; I'd be happy if Germany followed suit.
I can only cheer for you!
hugs Elke
Is whisky junk food? I saw an advert on TV recently. Also cider, and beer/lager.
God bless.
I don't like the idea of living in a 'nanny state' but clearly big steps had to be taken to counteract the insidious creep of advertising influence. I wonder, though, how much effect the ban will have. The effort has to be put in by parents and carers, too. It shocks me to see children being handed sweets as soon as they leave the classroom at the end of the day. Of course, older children can please themselves, and do.
Davvero un' idea fantastica 🤩
Dovrebbe essere così ovunque.
D'altronde il cibo-spazzatura, purtroppo non ha bisogno di pubblicità, si vende bene anche senza.
This is great leadership
Interesting.
The UK’s new junk food ad ban is a big step, not a gimmick. For years, children have been targeted with adverts for sugary, salty, fatty foods, shaping their habits before they even understand nutrition. The move isn’t just about adverts, it’s about slowing the rise of obesity and giving healthier options a chance to be noticed.
I’ve shared a new post exploring the impact of measures like this. You’re invited to read it.
That`s quite a (goog) step to take!
What a great idea.
That's probably a good thing.
I think it is a great idea, we need that hear too, all those commercials in your face all the time can't be good. We were determined not to let our daughter drink soda's until she was a teenager and now as an adult hardly ever drinks it.
We need go set the examples
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