UK considers total ban of online junk food ads

The United Kingdom is considering a total ban of online advertising for junk food, in order to combat what the government describes as an "obesity health crisis".

This week, the UK health department launched a consultation into proposals that would outlaw all web-based adverts for foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt.

"This will be a world-leading measure to tackle the obesity challenges we face now but it will also address a problem that will only become more prominent in the future," said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The proposal has been broadly welcomed by health campaigners and charities, although advertisers and food industry players have taken issue with the government's approach and timing.

Food industry umbrella body the British Take Away Campaign said the "government risks clobbering" thousands of independent food retailers that are already under economic pressure due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Advertising Association said that, if an outright Matt Hancock ban goes ahead, it will deal a "huge blow to UK advertising at a time when it is reeling from the impact of COVID-19".

The move would form part of a wider legislative drive to deal with high rates of obesity across the UK, where around two-thirds of people are classed as overweight.

During the summer, the government announced a number of regulations on food retailers and advertisers to combat weight gain, including a ban on "two-for-one" junk-food promotions, as well as restrictions on television commercials for fatty and sugary products.

The government said it is targeting young people in its overall strategy, because one in three children in the UK leave primary school overweight or obese, according to the UK health department. The television ban only applies outside of the broadcast watershed, or the programming period aimed at adults, which in the UK is between 9 pm and 5:30 am.

But the new proposal for online advertising favors a total ban during all hours. The government made this determination after consulting industry experts, who pointed out differences between broadcast and online media.

"Respondents highlighted that TV is a linear medium that pushes content and advertising to a mass audience, in a manner traditionally dictated by time of day," the consulting document said. "Online, however, is an on-demand medium commonly targeted to individual users."

The document said that, in the case of online advertising, time of day is neither a determining factor in what content is consumed, nor a proxy for establishing who is likely to consume it.

"We have already committed to restricting HFSS (high in fat, sugar and salt) adverts on television before 9 pm," said Public Health Minister Jo Churchill. "But we also need to go further and address how children can be influenced online; where they are spending more and more of their time."

Polling suggests the UK public supports advertising restrictions aimed at tackling weight gain. A 2019 survey from data analyst YouGov found that 72 percent of people in the UK are in favor of a 9 pm watershed on junk food adverts during popular family TV shows. The poll also showed that 70 percent support an online ban, though this survey question also stipulated a 9 pm watershed, unlike the new government proposal.