“Sportswashing”: BMJ says junk food brands target kids through UK athlete sponsorships

A new investigation finds that junk food firms have over 90 sponsorship deals with top UK sports, including brands like Cadbury, Pepsi, KP Snacks, Walkers, Kellogg’s, Red Bull, and Monster. It underscores that these partnerships weaken government initiatives to reduce junk food advertising and address the UK’s obesity problem.

The feature in BMJ raises an issue of how these deals may impact public health. These brands have partnered with sporting stars, top-flight teams, and official governing bodies. 

The issue flags the rise in the food industry’s sponsorship of sports with widespread digital marketing and social media targeting. Experts worry that such moves give junk food firms a “health halo effect,” making consumers believe their products are more acceptable and less harmful.

Football stars Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Leah Williamson, and Lauren James have such partnerships. This includes England Cricket captain Ben Stokes, cyclist Tom Pidcock, and Formula 1 driver Lando Norris.

“The value of the European sports sponsorship market has increased by 15% since 2019 and was valued at a record £20 billion [US$27 billion] in 2024,” reads the publication.

Junk food ad ban delays

The investigation comes amid the Women’s Euro 2025 football tournament in Switzerland (2–27 July), which expects 500 million people to attend. 

However, official sponsors — Just Eat Takeaway, Hellman’s Mmayonnaise, and PepsiCo — are featured on LED boards next to pitches and on interview backdrops during press events, flags BMJ investigators. 

The deals enable unhealthy products to appear on daytime TV, including Hula Hoops on England cricket shirts, Red Bull logos beside football pitches, and Kit Kat branding alongside Formula 1 race tracks.

The investigation comes amid the Women’s Euro 2025 football tournament.They add that the food industry has been lobbying and delaying legislation banning television advertisements for high-fat, salty, or sugary foods before the 9 p.m. TV watershed. Initially planned for late 2022, then October 2025, the implementation has been shifted to next year.

Social media and sports stars

Experts say advertisements have become more “pervasive” and “prominent” than before, and social media of sports stars opens greater routes for digital marketing. Under the “Kick Big Soda out of Sport” campaign, health experts have called on FIFA and the Olympic Committee to end their Coca-Cola sponsorship deals.

“It’s so important because it’s for kids. Some of these sports personalities, these football stars, these rugby stars…They are kids’ idols,” says Beth Bradshaw, policy and advocacy manager at Food Active, part of the public health charity Health Equalities Group. 

The BMJ’s findings demonstrate “genuine sportswashing,” argues Labour member of parliament and general practitioner Simon Opher. They have asked the UK Health Secretary whether he will ban sports sponsorship events by unhealthy food brands. 

However, the government said it has no plans at the moment to do so, adding that it has no plans to ban the advertising of less healthy food or drink products at sports events. “We continue to review the evidence of the impacts of less healthy food or drink product advertising on children and will consider where further action is needed.”