Britain proposed a ban on online advertising of unhealthy foods recently, as part of its efforts to tackle obesity and improve public health – a mission it says has been made more urgent by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the government claimed that obesity continues to be Britain’s biggest long-term public health issue. As per government figures, at least two-thirds of adults in England are overweight, and one in three children passing out of primary school are obese.
The plans could include a ban on online and pre-watershed TV advertising of unhealthy foods and restrictions on supermarket promotions, executives briefed on the plans told the Financial Times. Proposed new rules are also thought to include the introduction of compulsory calorie counts on restaurant and takeaway menus.
Being overweight has been shown to increase the risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 – a fact highlighted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson who has publicly talked about his own need to lose weight since being hospitalised with the disease. The government said earlier this year it wanted to ban television and online advertising for unhealthy foods before 9 p.m, but the draft measures published would go further and introduce a total ban online.
The prime minister has said he decided to go on a diet after concluding his weight had been a factor in developing the serious case of Covid-19 that left him in intensive care in April. Anti-obesity campaigners have previously called for a watershed for junk food advertising on television, and earlier this month a group of more than 30 health and medical associations signed a letter calling on Mr Johnson to ban such adverts before 9 pm. However, the idea is still strongly opposed by food manufacturers, advertising agencies and broadcasters. The UK has one of the highest obesity rates in the world and the highest coronavirus death rate in Europe, although adverts for unhealthy food are already subject to heavy restrictions.
The move was welcomed by the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) as well as Cancer Research UK. Caroline Cerny, from OHA, said: ‘Junk food advertising works – it can successfully influence our day our day-to-day choices. ‘That’s why food companies spend hundreds of thousands every year, to ensure that their unhealthy products remain in the spotlight.’ Jacob West from BHF added: ‘Ending the constant flood of online junk food advertising would be a big step forward in protecting everyone’s health, particularly children.
