Government Signals Tougher Crackdown on Junk Food Advertising to Children
The Government has signalled a significant toughening of its crackdown on the advertising of junk food to children, publishing an updated nutrient profiling model that could bring many more food products into the "less healthy" category. This move comes just weeks after stricter advertising rules came into full effect in early January.
New Nutrient Profiling Model Published
The Department of Health and Social Care has published an updated nutrient profiling model, which is used to calculate which products fall into the "less healthy" category and face associated restrictions on advertising to children. The Government will now carry out a full consultation on applying this new model to both advertising rules and supermarket promotion regulations.
The current NPM, which forms the basis of existing advertising restrictions, is more than twenty years old and considered out of step with contemporary health advice. Although a revised model was first published in 2018, it was shelved by the previous government due to concerns about potential impacts on the food industry.
Expanding the Scope of Restrictions
Stricter rules on advertising unhealthy food came into full effect on January 5th, preventing advertisements for food and drink high in fat, salt, and sugar from appearing:
- On television between 5:30am and 9:00pm
- Online at any time of day
The current ban applies to products within thirteen categories considered to play the most significant role in childhood obesity, including:
- Soft drinks
- Chocolates and sweets
- Pizzas and ice creams
- Breakfast cereals and porridges
- Sweetened bread products
- Main meals and sandwiches
Products in these categories are then assessed as to whether they are "less healthy" based on the NPM, which considers their nutrient levels and whether they are high in saturated fat, salt, or sugar. Only products meeting both criteria face advertising restrictions.
Key Changes in the Updated Model
The new nutrient profiling model introduces a lower threshold for free sugars, which includes:
- Added sugars
- Sugars naturally present in syrups and honey
- Sugars in unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, purees, and pastes
This change means more desserts and foods that parents might mistakenly consider healthier options could be classified as "less healthy," including some sweetened breakfast cereals and fruit-flavoured yoghurts marketed specifically to children.
However, yoghurts with no added sugar would pass the new NPM, and products like sausage rolls and fruit juice without added sugar would also remain outside the scope of updated restrictions.
Addressing Childhood Nutrition Concerns
According to current health advice, free sugars should make up no more than 5% of energy intake, but most children are consuming double that amount. Fewer than one in ten children meet this recommendation, while 90% of children are not consuming enough fibre, according to the DHSC.
Early estimates suggest that applying the updated model to current junk food advertising and supermarket promotion restrictions could reduce childhood obesity cases by an additional 170,000.
Government and Industry Responses
A DHSC spokesman stated: "Most children are consuming more than twice the recommended amount of free sugars, and more than one in three 11-year-olds are growing up overweight or obese. We want to work with the food industry to make sure it is the healthy choices being advertised and not the 'less healthy' ones so families have the right information to be able to make the healthy choice."
Karen Betts, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, expressed serious concerns: "Food and drink manufacturers have made multimillion-pound investments to meet the nutrient profile model that underpins the new promotion and advertising restrictions. We have serious concerns that changing to the new model will mean many healthier options could no longer be promoted or advertised to consumers."
Andrea Martinez-Inchausti, assistant director of food at the British Retail Consortium, added: "Retailers are concerned about various aspects of the new NPM. Re-categorising many nutrient dense products such as yoghurts, smoothies and breakfast cereals as unhealthy risks unintended consequences."
The Government has committed to publishing the updated model as part of its ten-year health plan and now aims to work with parents and the food and drinks industry to help create what it describes as "the healthiest generation of children ever."
