Junk Food Advertising Ban Comes into Force
- Healthwatch West Berkshire
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
A Big Step for Children’s Health
A long-awaited ban on junk food advertising has come into force today, marking a significant shift in how children are protected from unhealthy food marketing.
Under the new rules, adverts for foods and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar will be banned online at all times and on television before 9pm. This builds on voluntary restrictions introduced last October, but crucially moves from goodwill to firm regulation.
The Government says the impact could be substantial. It estimates the ban will remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets every year, help 20,000 fewer children live with obesity, and deliver around £2 billion in long-term health benefits.
Minister for Health Ashley Dalton described the change as part of a wider move towards prevention rather than crisis response:
“By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods – making the healthy choice the easy choice for parents and children.”
Why this matters
The need for action is clear. Government data shows that 22.1% of children in England are already overweight or living with obesity when they start primary school. By the time they leave, that figure rises sharply to 35.8%.
Poor diet doesn’t just affect weight. Tooth decay remains the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 5–9, a statistic that highlights how deeply food and drink choices affect children’s health and wellbeing.
Children are particularly vulnerable to advertising, especially online and during family TV viewing hours. Limiting exposure to junk food marketing is widely seen as one of the most effective ways to support healthier choices without placing all the responsibility on families.
A welcome but overdue change
Health campaigners have broadly welcomed the ban. Katharine Jenner, Executive Director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said:
“It’s been one battle after another, but we are finally going to see children being protected from the worst offending junk food adverts.”
Looking ahead
This ban won’t solve childhood obesity on its own. Access to affordable healthy food, support for families, school food standards and local health services all play a role. But this is a meaningful step in shifting the balance away from relentless junk food marketing and towards prevention.
Talk to us:
If you’re a parent, carer, or young person, we’d like to hear your views:
Do you think junk food advertising has influenced food choices in your household?
What more would help families make healthier choices locally?
Share your experiences with us and help shape future work to improve children’s health in West Berkshire.
Phone: 01635 886210