UK government announces plans to ban online advertising for HFSS food

The UK government has announced plans to apply a complete ban on “junk food” advertising online. This is being seen as the hardest set of restrictions on digital marketing in the world and is a legislation designed to help tackle obesity in the UK. The plan has received mixed responses, with wide support from health campaigners but harsh criticism from industry and the advertising industry. The proposed ban, which has entered a six-week consultation period, focuses on food and drink ‘high in fat, salt and sugar’ (HFSS). However, this will need to be clarified further as a large selection of foods, including avocados, cream, marmite and jam will be swept into the HFSS category. Any ‘junk food’ item that is advertised using digital marketing, including Facebook, paid-for search results of Google or social media activity on Twitter or Instagram would be subject to the ban. The government has explained that this is key as children are now spending more time online. Read more here.