Brands that make unhealthy foods will be able to get round the government’s junk food advertising ban if their adverts don’t show products that break the rules.From October 2025, foods that are high in fat or sugar will not be able to be advertised on television before 9pm, or in paid online advertising.But restrictions in the new regulations, which aim to tackle childhood obesity, will only apply to the identifiable products in an advert.It means that adverts from fast food chains, for example, will not face restrictions as long as they do not feature products such as burgers or fries.The new ban has been introduced using powers in the Health and Social Care Act 2022, passed by Boris Johnson’s government, which set the focus on products.More than one in five children in England are overweight or obese by the time they start primary school, government statistics suggest. This rises to more than one in three by the time they leave.Speaking when the new rules were published on Tuesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said obesity “robs our kids of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, and costs the NHS billions”.“This government is taking action now to end the targeting of junk food ads at kids, across both TV and online,” he added.Under the ban, adverts will face restrictions if a product falls into one of 13 categories and is also classed as “less healthy” on a government scoring system, after an analy …
