UK’s imminent ban on online junk food ads sparks fierce debate between food industry and health experts

11 Nov 2020 --- The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care is conducting a six-week consultation on a total ban on all online advertisements of high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods. The move is a result of an amplified connection between COVID-19 and obesity and has elicited both positive and negative reactions from industry bodies.

“Companies have told us time and time again that they need a clear line to work toward – the missing piece up until now has been a clear government strategy. If companies want to advertise their food and drink products online, they need to be healthy,” Fran Bernhardt, children’s food campaign coordinator for Sustain, tells NutritionInsight.

“We look forward to moving one step closer to taking junk food out of the spotlight online and setting the stage for healthier food.”

The announcements come off the back of earlier measures announced in July, in which the government pledged to introduce a 9 p.m. watershed on all HFSS ads. The new consultation will build on this policy as part of a national campaign to end obesity, an already serious public health issue that has been further confounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

New measures will build on a previous 9 p.m. watershed ban on junk food ads. Closing loopholes 
The government’s report states that enhancing the restrictions from a watershed time limit to a total ban is necessary since companies can take advantage of watersheds. 

Among the considerations was “the potential for a time-based restriction to inadvertently confer a competitive advantage on some platforms, such as those that already provide advertisers with the tools to identify and time limit dynamically served advertising.” 

Online advertising may also offer greater potential for companies to move their adverts beyond a 9 p.m. watershed than was the case with television advertising. 

“Could not come at a worse time”
However, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is reacting negatively to the announcement, saying that the government is damaging its intentions since the time period is insufficient for practical changes to be made. 

“It beggars belief that the government would launch such an important and technically involved consultation at this time and with just six weeks to respond,” says Kate Halliwell, head of diet and health at the FDF. 

Launching further restrictions on the industry during a challenging economic and political period threatens manufacturers and even the nation’s food supply, she says.

“It could not come at a worse time for food and drink manufacturers – the industry is preparing for its busiest time of the year and working flat out to keep the nation fed through lockdown, all while facing down the very real threat of a no-deal Brexit.”

Proponents of the ban such as Sustain, however, say these complaints are unfounded. 

“Industry’s financial concerns are unfounded. Shifting to advertising healthier food can be profitable, as the Mayor of London’s policy on Transport for London (TfL) demonstrates. There, advertising revenues have increased by £2.3 million (US3.4 million) in the first year since the policy was introduced,” says Bernhardt.

COVID-19 has compounded the already growing obesity epidemic.Experts express cautious celebration
Other experts in the public health sector are also celebrating the announcements as a long-overdue process aimed at tackling the increasingly endemic problem of obesity in the UK. 

“These measures are very welcome as is anything that can help to tackle childhood obesity and overall diet quality in the population and particularly children,” Clare Thornton-Wood, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association (BDA), tells NutritionInsight.

“We know that children are influenced by advertising and that their online time is actually greater than their TV viewing.”

Despite the new ban bringing positive closure to oversights in the watershed, the F&B industry will be ready to adapt. The government and consumers must remain vigilant, she emphasizes.

“Although the consultation is a very positive step, many areas need more investment to tackle childhood obesity. As the consultation highlights, changes could likely influence adult purchases and consumption and encourage the food industry to reformulate products.”

The six week period must be used to “ensure that as many loopholes as possible can be closed” to prevent influencing consumers to purchase HFSS products, she says. 

Lockdowns and advert “bombardment”
While the pandemic places greater strain on the F&B industry, it has also compounded health issues resulting from COVID-19. 

“It has highlighted the obesity issues we have within the UK. On a positive note, it has in many areas resulted in an increased interest in diet and physical activity. However, this has been coupled with the impact of poverty on diet,” says Thornton-Wood. 

The lockdown has also likely increased viewing numbers of online advertisements.

“As the message from the government has been to ‘stay home’ for much of the year in the fight against COVID-19, this will have no doubt vastly increased children’s exposure to irresponsible marketing,” says Graham MacGregor, chair of Action on Sugar (AoS).

By Louis Gore-Langton