Porridge and crumpets subject to new advertising ban

Certain types of porridge, crumpets and breakfast cereals are included in the list of products covered by the new junk food advertising ban.

The government says the law applies to both paid online advertising and TV ads aired before 9pm and is aimed at curbing childhood obesity.

Scheduled to come into effect in October 2025, Foods classified as “unhealthy” by the government are subject to bans.fast food, soft drinks, and instant meals, as well as pastries, cereal bars, and sweetened yogurt.

Mr Cook and TV presenter Thomasina Mears hailed the move as “bold”, but the ban has drawn criticism from others.

According to regulatory details, baked goods such as crumpets, scones and pancakes will all be considered junk food under the new law.

Ads for sugary breakfast cereals also disappeared from pre-watershed TV screens, with granola, muesli and “porridge oats including instant porridge and other hot oat-based cereals” all labeled as “unhealthy” foods. It is classified as

Advertising of sweetened yogurt and sugar-sweetened beverages (such as carbonated drinks and some fruit juices) will also be restricted.

The government will classify products according to a scoring system based on their sugar, fat and protein content, and will ban advertising of all foods designated as “unhealthy.”

This means that healthier versions of products such as porridge products and unsweetened yogurt products without added sugar, salt or fat are exempt from the ban.

The new law applies to paid online advertising for these products, as well as television advertising, to reduce children's exposure to foods high in fat, sugar and salt.

The legislation comes against a backdrop of rising levels of childhood obesity in the UK, with NHS data showing that almost one in ten (9.2%) children of intake age are living with obesity. is suggested.

NHS statistics show that by the age of five, one in five children (23.7%) suffer from tooth decay due to overconsumption of sugar.

former prime minister boris johnson To tackle the issue in 2021, it announced for the first time that TV advertising for foods high in sugar, salt and fat will be banned by 9pm across the UK.

The ban was then postponed until 2025, with the Conservative government saying it wanted to give the food and drink industry time to prepare for the changes, citing the cost of living crisis.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Mears, a chef and co-founder of restaurant chain Wahaca, welcomed the advertising ban.

“The government is taking very concerted, bold and very courageous action on big food.” [companies] They have complete control over our food environment,” she said.

Myers said the ban would reduce the burden on taxpayers, pointing out that: Research by Professor Tim Jackson The Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee suggests that chronic food-related diseases cost the UK £268 billion a year.

“Our diet is the worst in Europe and we know it is causing us absolute pain, discomfort, long-term illness, premature death and preventable death. It is bringing the NHS to its knees,” she said.

Mr Myers said “the proposed legislation does not go far enough” and called on the government to do more to tackle poor diets.

The government says the legislation is expected to prevent thousands of cases of childhood obesity each year and cut 7.2 billion calories a year from the diets of British children.

But for Prasanna Callaghan, who runs Crumpets cafe near Buckingham Palace, the idea of ​​banning advertising for baked goods is “ridiculous”.

“The world has gone crazy,” he told BBC News, arguing that the government's bill should make a clearer distinction between crumpets and traditional junk foods such as fried chicken.

“If you classified crumpets as junk food, that would have a huge impact on my business. Essentially what they're saying is, indirectly, 'You shouldn't eat crumpets.' That's what it means.

“This is an old traditional food that has been eaten for many years,” he said of teppanyaki.

Meanwhile, mother-of-two Maria McCracken, from Ashford, Kent, said she did not agree with the advertising ban, instead stressing the importance of teaching children to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

Ms McCracken told the BBC that when her children were growing up, she “pretty much cooked everything from scratch”, but added that they enjoyed “the occasional takeaway” together. “Everything is fine,” she said.

“This is a question of how we raise our children,” McCracken said, suggesting that children should be taught how to prepare their own nutritious meals.

“It's really something that has to happen within families, not something that the government bans before 9 o'clock,” she said.

Slimming World consultants also questioned whether a ban on TV advertising would effectively combat childhood obesity. “teeth [children] Impact of advertising? I don't think they ever paid attention. ”

The government's impact assessment for the bill said: “Across studies, we found a clear link between food advertising and calorie consumption.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the policy was “a step towards a major shift in the focus of health care from disease to prevention, meeting the Government's aim to give every child a healthy and happy start in life.” ”