Porridge and granola will soon join a list of food items banned from advertising in the UK, following a government initiative aimed at tackling childhood obesity.
In a significant move, the UK government has announced a sweeping ban on advertisements for certain foods deemed ‘unhealthy’. This legislation, set to take effect on television before 9 pm from 1 October 2025, targets a range of products including porridge, granola, ready meals, stuffed pasta, oat-based cereals, confectionery, and a variety of snacks such as crisps, pretzels, and salted popcorn.
The decision, underpinned by a desire to combat rising obesity rates, uses a scoring system that assesses energy content, saturated fat, total sugars, and sodium while considering the presence of more beneficial nutrients. By focussing on these metrics, the government aims to classify and subsequently restrict advertising channels for foods that contribute to unhealthy dietary habits.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting highlights the profound impact obesity can have on children, stating, ‘Obesity robs our kids of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems and costs the NHS billions.’ In support of this effort, ministers anticipate that the new advertising restrictions will remove an estimated 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets annually, potentially averting 20,000 cases of childhood obesity.
The Labour government confirmed these measures in September, marking an aggressive stance following delays in implementation by the preceding Conservative administration. The new rules also encompass a total ban on paid-for online advertising, expanding the scope of regulated media outlets. Minister Andrew Gwynne expressed the government’s commitment to addressing this issue decisively, ‘We want to tackle the problem head-on without further delay.’
This approach follows previous steps taken by the government on 1 October 2022, which included stringent regulations for foods high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS). These earlier regulations saw such products removed from prominent locations in supermarkets, such as store entrances and checkouts, in an effort to discourage impulsive purchases.
The UK government’s forthcoming advertising ban is a bold step in addressing the public health issue of childhood obesity. By limiting the exposure of children to adverts for foods high in undesirable nutrients, the initiative aims to foster healthier dietary habits from a young age. Only time will reveal the full impact of these measures on public health.
