A lobbying campaign by the world’s biggest ultra-processed food companies has resulted in the UK government ditching plans to enforce promotion of healthier food, The Guardian reports.
New regulations banning junk food promotion
New regulations banning junk food promotion come into force from October.
The Department for Health and Social Care’s push on healthy food has been withdrawn after the Food and Drink Federation – representing Nestle, Coca-Cola, Unilever and others – made repeated demands to the Government.
According to government figures, the NHS’s annual spending on obesity-related conditions is projected to rise to nearly £10 billion by 2050.
Frontier Economics have reported that reduced productivity and increased social care needs because of obesity could add another £7.5 billion a year of cost to the public purse.
Reactions to the ban
The Financial Times said Marks & Spencer chairman Archie Norman expressed concerns that the ban on advertising foods high in fat, sugar and salt before 9pm could significantly impact traditional Christmas advertising campaigns.
He said festive staples such as mince pies, Christmas puddings and sausages might be classified as unhealthy making it financially unjustifiable to produce seasonal commercials featuring these items.
The Observer said big food brands increased their spending on advertising by 26% in the months before new junk food regulations are due to come into force.
As a result, shoppers bought 45.4m more packs of chocolate, cakes and crisps from the top-selling brands.
