London: A new ban on junk food advertising on television before 9 pm and online at all times came into force on Monday as part of the UK government’s crackdown on childhood obesity rates.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the ban on adverts for less healthy food and sugary drinks is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year.
It is also expected to reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver around 2 billion pounds in benefits for the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) over time.
“By restricting adverts for junk food before 9 pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods – making the healthy choice the easy choice for parents and children,” said Ashley Dalton, the UK’s Minister for Health.
“We’re moving the dial from having the NHS treat sickness, to preventing it so people can lead healthier lives and so it can be there for us when we need it,” she said.
The DHSC claims evidence shows advertising influences what and when children eat, shaping preferences from a young age and increasing the risk of obesity and related illnesses.
According to official statistics, 22.1 per cent of children in England are living with either being overweight or obese at the start of primary school, and this rises to 35.8 per cent by the time they leave. And, tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for young children, typically ages five to nine, in the UK.
“These new restrictions will help reduce children’s exposure to the most problematic adverts and mark real progress towards a healthier food environment,” said Katharine Jenner, Executive Director of the UK’s Obesity Health Alliance.
“For the government to achieve its ambition of raising the healthiest generation ever, this is an important policy as part of a broader approach to preventing obesity-related ill health. Continuing to strengthen the rules over time will help ensure these protections remain effective,” she said.
Food and drink companies were on notice for the ban as the restrictions came in on a voluntary basis in October 2025, ahead of them taking legal effect this week.
Previous interventions, such as the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, resulted in businesses reformulating to make products healthier, and the measures coming into effect today have already had a similar impact, driving the development and promotion of healthier options, the DHSC said.
The Soft Drink Industry Levy is now set to be extended to cover more products, including sugary milk-based drinks, and the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 is to be banned as part of the government’s health drive.(PTI)
