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The UK government has confirmed new legislation to mitigate its food culture fuelled by high calorie doses of fast food. The idea is to eliminate the showing of fast food adverts on television after 9pm in an attempt to curb the childhood obesity that plagues the country.
This new government policy will come into force on 1 October 2025. In addition, Labour said the ban on junk food advertising would also extend to a total ban on paid advertising on the internet.
This measure, which is part of a wider public health initiative, will limit exposure to advertisements for products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS). The obesity crisis in the UK has led to more than 20% of children being overweight or obese by the time they enter primary school. This figure rises to over a third by the time they leave school.
Foods will be banned from the screen based on two criteria. Firstly, following its classification as ‘less healthy’ based on a government scoring system after analysing its nutrients (salt, fat, sugar and protein). And secondly, if it falls into one of 13 categories created by the government such as soft drinks with added sugar, savoury snacks such as crisps, sugary cereals, chocolates and sweets or ice cream.
