On Friday, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), the body that sets advertising standards in the U.K., launched a public consultation on banning all junk food adverts aimed at children, in an effort to combat rising obesity levels. The body defines junk food as all products high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS products).
The move would see the current ban on TV adverts extended to all media platforms, including the web. Last year 96 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds spent more time online than watching TV according to Ofcom, the U.K.'s communications regulator.
"Too many children in the U.K. are growing up overweight or even obese, potentially damaging their health in later life and imposing a high cost on society," said the chairman of CAP, James Best, in a statement . "Advertising is just one small factor in a very complex equation but we believe we can play a positive part in addressing an urgent societal challenge. In proposing new rules, our aim is to strike the right balance between protecting children and enabling businesses to continue advertising their products responsibly."
Figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre for 2014-15 revealed that one in five children in England was obese by the end of primary school.
"The consultation explores what role advertising regulation can reasonably play—alongside a co-ordinated approach involving parents, schools and a wide range of public health professionals and regulatory bodies—in helping tackle this deep-seated public health challenge," the CAP press release stated.
However, health campaigners have criticized the consultation as vague and not ambitious enough.
"We want to see more action. Unhealthy food and drink is a leading cause of preventable deaths so we still need stricter rules than the CAP has put forward for consultation," Jennifer Rosborough, campaign manager at Action on Sugar tells Newsweek . "The government is still very influenced by the food industry. It isn't about putting food and drink brands out of business but if we are going to promote products—let's promote the healthy stuff!"
"It is a let-down compared to the brave and bold action we saw earlier this year with the government's announcement of a sugary drinks tax. The CAP is not going far enough," Malcolm Clark, co-ordinator of the Children's Food Campaign, tells Newsweek.
"It is disappointing that CAP still feels the need to consult on key policy aspects—such as whether the rules should apply to under 12s or under 16s. The junk food advert ban on TV already applies to under 16s, so that should extend to all other media platforms," he continues. "There are further loopholes and the potential for the food industry to get exemptions. It is still possible that brands will retain their celebrity endorsements and popular cartoon mascots. At this stage we are not confident that the end result will be the necessary leap forward public health advocates want to see."
The consultation will last for 10 weeks, ending on July 22.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
