The UK government’s move to ban advertising before 9pm (and anywhere online) for so-called less healthy foods (high fat, salt or sugar) appear to be in disarray (as seems to be the case with much of its legislative programme, including this week’s backtracking on pensioners’ winter fuel allowance.)
Marketing of such foods on TV will be banned from October but not advertising by the companies that make them – so long as they don’t show the product. So, presumably, you can advertise a burger company but not its burgers, which sounds rather double dutch. Don’t people know McDonald’s makes burgers? There will be, it seems, a four-month delay before the new rules cover everything. Until it all gets amended again, of course.
The Department of Health says: “Obesity robs children of the best start in life and sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, which costs the NHS billions. We have secured a unique and public commitment from advertisers and broadcasters so that from October 1 2025, adverts for identifiable less healthy products will not be shown on TV before 9pm or at any time online, and this will be a legal duty from January 2026.”
This follows fierce lobbying by the food companies, retailers and broadcasters, with M&S chairman Archie Norman complaining that companies wouldn’t be able to advertise mince pieces at Christmas and M&S wouldn’t be able to afford Christmas ads. (It still may not, of course, unless it can resolve issues still affecting stores and online orders after its recent hack.)
Industry regulator the ASA and the Cap Committee which administers it have also weighed in requesting more clarification from the Government about who exactly can do exactly what. Should keep them busy for the next few months.
PS. perhaps Silk Cut could try to bring back its famous posters?
