UK ban on junk food adverts targeting children is delayed until next year
Ministers are to delay the ban on junk food adverts targeting children until 2026, sparking outrage among health campaigners.
Labour had vowed to implement new rules prohibiting unhealthy food ads online and before 9pm on television in a key election manifesto pledge. After winning power, it promised the ban would come into force across the UK on 1 October.
But the legislation has now been shelved until January next year after lobbying by the food industry.
The world's largest manufacturers of ultra-processed food and other unhealthy products had raised concerns that branded ads not featuring specific items would also be affected by the ban.
As a result, ministers have agreed to amend the law to ensure brand-only advertising, which does not show products high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS), is not caught under the rules.
In a statement on Thursday, the minister for public health, Ashley Dalton, said: 'I am announcing today that the government intends to make and lay a statutory instrument (SI) to explicitly exempt 'brand advertising' from the restrictions.
'The SI will provide legal clarification on this aspect of the existing policy, as it was understood and agreed by parliament during the passage of the health and care bill. This will enable the regulators to deliver clear implementation guidance and mean that industry can prepare advertising campaigns with confidence.'
Some firms have offered to voluntarily implement the ban from October. But to allow time for consultation on the SI, the legal ban will not take effect until 5 January, Dalton said.
The chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, William Roberts, said the delay was a 'huge setback' for public health.
'We can't afford to put off children's health or allow for the measures in the original proposals to be watered down. A key part of preventing ill health is giving people access to healthier choices and restricting the advertising of junk food to children and young people is core to this.'
Nikita Sinclair, head of the children's health and food programme at Impact on Urban Health, said the delay was extremely disappointing.
'This move gives the green light to food and drink companies to continue to bombard our children with unhealthy options in the places they spend their time. At a time when government should be acting to protect children's health, this delay completely undermines the stated commitment to creating the healthiest generation of children ever.'
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has previously criticised the Conservative party for delaying the junk food ad ban, which was shelved by Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. 'The Conservative party has chickened out of acting on junk food advertising time and time again, despite obesity costing the NHS billions and having terrible effects on the health of our children,' he said in May 2024.
The latest delay comes as children across the UK are getting shorter, fatter and sicker amid an epidemic of poor diets.
The average height of five-year-olds is falling, obesity levels have increased by almost a third and the number of young people being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has risen by more than a fifth. Aggressive UPF marketing is a key driver of the 'significant decline' in children's health, research shows.
On Saturday, the Guardian revealed how Rishi Sunak's government dropped legal guidance urging retailers to offer deals on healthy food after a lobbying campaign by the world's largest manufacturers of UPF.
Rob Percival, head of food policy at the Soil Association, said: ''This is the second time in a week that we've seen health officials bow to industry lobbying. Our investigation with the Guardian found that junk food manufacturers are pressuring the government to adopt junk health policy, and the price will be paid in the public's health.
'It's essential that the government resists the UPF lobby and ensures the upcoming food strategy makes it easy for everyone to enjoy a healthy, minimally processed diet.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Father's Day treats contain 'reckless' sugar levels, shoppers warned
Retailers are packing their Father's Day chocolate ranges with record levels of sugar and calories – putting dads at risk of a host of health conditions. An analysis found some paternal-themed bars and treats include almost a week's worth of sugar in a single item. Critics and nutritionists blasted the use of 'humour' and 'oversized packaging' to target men with products that pose 'real health risks'. As part of their Father's Day range Morrisons offers a 360-gram Toblerone Milk Chocolate Bar packing a worrying 216 grams of sugar or the equivalent of 54 teaspoons of sugar, plus an astonishing 1,822 calories. NHS experts say the average adult should consume no more than 30 grams of sugar a day or seven teaspoons worth - plus a maximum 2,500 calories for a man. High-sugar diets lead to having too many calories, which leads to weight gain, while being overweight increases your risk of heart problems such as heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes. And similar levels of sugar were found in treats from rival chains. Marks & Spencer says its 'Big Daddy bar' has been recognised as 'the UK's answer to Dubai chocolate' - a popular bar filled with pistachio - thanks to its 'irresistible pistachio flavour '. But nutritional information for the treat posted online shows it packs an extremely high 119 grams of sugar - the same as 30 teaspoons and more than four days' worth, plus a waist-expanding 1,500 calories. Sainsbury's offers 200-gram box of Lindt Lindor Pistachio Milk Chocolate Truffles as part of its Father's Day range. But small print on the supermarket giant's website confirms the 'bliss' inducing treat packs a hefty 84 grams of sugar – that equates to 21 teaspoons of sugar or three days' worth - plus 1,252 calories. Paul Evans, registered nutritionist at The Nutritionist UK, said: 'The levels of sugar being packed into these so-called 'Father's Day treats' are not just excessive — they're reckless. 'We're talking about single products containing nearly a week's worth of sugar, sold under the guise of a novelty gift. 'This is indulgence pushed to the point of absurdity. There's a worrying trend in how food brands target men — using humour, oversized packaging, and 'treat culture' to disguise the fact these products pose very real health risks' Elsewhere, Tesco is selling its own Toblerone themed treat designed to give dad's waistline a battering. The 400-gram Toblerone Tiny Milk, white and dark Chocolate Bars Pouch includes a tooth decay inducing 163 grams of sugar or the same as 40 teaspoons of sugar. That's almost six days' worth of the white stuff. The 35 Toblerone treats per bag specials also includes an eye-watering 1,476 calories. Tesco said: 'From grooming kits to books, we offer a great range of affordable products in store and online to help families celebrate Father's Day this year.' Mondelez International, makers of Toblerone added: 'These products are intended as an occasional treat and are clearly labelled to ensure they can be consumed as part of a healthy and balanced diet. 'We offer a wide range of different products and sizes to suit the varied needs of our consumers, each of which have nutritional information on pack. All other supermarkets were contacted for comment.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
ANDREW PIERCE: Is Angela Rayner's hard-Left boyfriend plotting to put her in No 10 as revenge for his sacking by Starmer's ruthless right-hand man?
On the eve of the Government's difficult Spending Review, Angela Rayner was in surprisingly high spirits. Drinks were flowing as the Deputy Prime Minister held court, acting as the DJ playing loud 'house music' while her guests danced the night away. Rayner's office has refused to confirm whether a party took place in her resplendent grace-and-favour apartment in Admiralty House, once the home of Sir Winston Churchill, the night before the Housing Secretary received one of the biggest financial packages of the Spending Review. Rayner had to battle to the bitter end against Chancellor Rachel Reeves, but the outcome fell in her favour and is a sign of her growing influence. In recent weeks, there have been reports of Rayner limbering up to replace Keir Starmer as Labour leader, and she has solid backing from members of the soft-Left, as well as the unions. Her victory in the Reeves negotiations is a clear sign that Downing Street is trying to keep her on side. Little wonder, then, that she indulged in raucous celebrations hours before the Chancellor addressed the Commons, reviving memories of when she was photographed belting out songs behind the DJ's desk in an Ibiza nightclub last summer. When Rayner, 45, took her place on the benches for the Spending Review, many thought she looked somewhat jaded. The same was said of Blackpool South MP Chris Webb, who was at the party and is one of her closest friends. A source told me: 'They were celebrating the fact that Ange had won her deal on the Spending Review. She is feeling on top of the world. The settlement showed that Ange is a serious player. Tarry, 42, has never got over being sacked as a shadow minister in July 2022 for giving a TV interview while on a picket line during a rail strike 'It may look insensitive but it was a private party for a small group of friends and supporters. These party guests will run an Angela Rayner leadership campaign if and when the time comes.' Rayner's ebullience was in stark contrast to the downbeat demeanour of the dwindling band of Reeves supporters. Her stock has fallen to rock bottom among Labour MPs and members. And Rayner's soiree will only heighten suspicions in the Downing Street bunker ahead of a potential crunch Commons vote on reforms to disability benefits. As many as 200 Labour MPs are said to be deeply unhappy about Reeves's plans to make £5 billion of cuts. In public, Rayner says she has no interest in becoming Labour leader. In private, however, I can disclose that many of the party-goers on Tuesday night are working hard to bolster her support among MPs and party members. Some MPs have dubbed the less-than-covert Rayner campaign Operation Revenge because it is being masterminded by her boyfriend Sam Tarry, 42, who has never got over being sacked as a shadow minister in July 2022 for giving a TV interview while on a picket line during a rail strike. Later that year, he was deselected as the MP for Ilford South. Tarry, who was part of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership team, blames his downfall on Starmer's all-powerful chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who wants to purge the party of Left-wingers. Revenge is a dish best served cold, they say, and Tarry is pushing for Rayner to be the first elected woman leader of the Labour Party. In the run-up to the election, Rayner ruled out a tilt at the top job because she knew Labour was destined to win big and assumed that Starmer would be a fixture in No 10 for years. Since he became PM, however, support for Labour has collapsed faster than that of any newly elected governing party in the past 40 years. Starmer's personal rating is a woeful minus 46 per cent. And Rayner is popular where it counts – with party members. In a poll by independent party news website LabourList, she came second to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who is not a leadership contender after his disastrous election defeat in 2015. What's more, many Labour MPs believe they must elect a woman for the first time in the party's 125-year history. Even Rayner's many detractors, who scorn her intellectual ability, concede there is no serious alternative contender. Rachel Reeves and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson have crashed and burned in the eyes of voters. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, another favourite of party members, does not have a Commons seat. And Health Secretary Wes Streeting's majority was cut to 550 by an independent Muslim candidate standing on a pro-Gaza platform. Many suspect he will lose next time. The man who helped Rayner avoid a similar fate is her close friend Wajid Khan, a former mayor of Burnley. He was instrumental in ensuring no independent Muslim candidate stood against her in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency in Greater Manchester, which she won with a 6,700 majority over Reform. To the surprise of many, Khan – who was elevated to the Lords by Starmer in 2020 – became Rayner's deputy minister in the housing department. 'Khan was repaid with a ministerial job and he is now repaying her in turn by working discreetly on her behalf,' says a supporter. 'He will be a hugely important link to the Muslim vote which Labour is losing under Starmer.' All of which helps explains why Rayner has come round to the idea that, if Starmer goes, she should run. It explains, too, last month's leak of a memo from Rayner to the Chancellor outlining her alternative money-raising measures, arguing for higher taxes on wealthier people and cutting benefits for migrants. Whoever leaked it – and Rayner's team say it wasn't them – had one purpose: to cast her in a positive light with the MPs and party members who will choose the next leader. Some MPs say the leak fired the starting gun on a long race to succeed Starmer, which is why it caused such anger in Downing Street. Days later, Rayner had to fight her corner behind the scenes after reports that Starmer would strip her of the housing element of her brief. Flame-haired Rayner is unashamedly combative and, according to a source, 'there was a lot of shouting'. A darling of the trade unionists, she has the personality to build bridges across the party. Rayner was the special guest at Tony Blair's Christmas drinks last year. She is also close to Gordon Brown and her boisterous birthday karaoke parties are well attended by the Right and Left in the party. A Rayner associate says: 'If you're a working-class woman like Ange, who is always being written off by the men in the Downing Street bunker, what better way to prove them wrong than by seizing the top job?' Rayner famously left school aged 16, pregnant and without any qualifications. Her political hero was former Labour deputy prime minister John Prescott. 'Some say she's Prescott in a skirt,' says a supporter. 'Like Prescott, she speaks the language of ordinary voters. She understands them the way the metropolitan elite around Starmer don't. If there's a leadership election tomorrow, she wins hands down.' Downing Street is aware of the manoeuvring. It may be why, in the past few weeks, Rayner has lost her personal photographer, Simon Walker. 'No 10 thought she was getting too big for her boots, so they grounded her photographer and have now taken the post away altogether,' a source told me. A source close to Starmer says: 'You can't blame them for reining her in. Keir leads a stable government, a disciplined party, and knows what he wants. Ange would be woefully out of her depth as PM. She's not up to it and MPs know it.' But Rayner is indifferent to the barbs. She thinks she's on a roll and, judging by the mood of her party guests, they think the same.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Millions of patients to be treated by GPs instead of hospitals under radical reforms to cut NHS waiting list
Patients will be treated by GPs rather than getting specialist care in hospitals under radical reforms as Keir Starmer battles to tackle the NHS crisis. Routine appointments will be dealt with in community services close to patients' homes in a move they believe could 'fix the waiting list'. The health service will also ramp-up technology meaning patients will have less in-person appointments - instead using like the NHS app and wearable devices to monitor patients remotely. NHS bosses claim half of the 135 million hospital outpatient appointments every year are 'pointless' and follow-ups and consultations could instead be done in high-street surgeries. It comes as the government is set to launch a ten-year plan to create a 'neighbourhood health service', The Times reports. 'As we deliver the transformational shifts in our 10 Year Plan, from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention, it will have radical implications for services,' Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester. 'Much of what's done in a hospital today, will be done on the high street, over the phone, or through the app in a decade's time.' The plans are set to link family doctors, nurses, social care services and volunteers with money being paid to NHS regions based on how effective their care is rather than how busy the hospitals are. Streeting added: 'We will use financial incentives to invest more in public health outcomes, not just in more activity that reacts to sickness.' Earlier this week, figures revealed that the number of patients waiting has fallen to its lowest point in two years - but the number of patients waiting for more than a year for hospital treatment has increased. The news comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave the NHS a cash injection worth an extra £29 billion per year. Speaking to the Commons, the Chancellor said she is making a 'record cash investment' in the NHS, worth an extra 3 per cent a year in real terms. The Chancellor insisted this would lead to 'more appointments, more doctors and more scanners' as Labour seeks to deliver on its manifesto promise to get the NHS 'back on its feet'. But the settlement received a lukewarm response from NHS bosses, who said they would need even more money if the Government is to achieve its aim of treating 92 per cent of patients within 18 weeks of a GP referral by the end of this Parliament. Matthew Taylor, of the NHS Confederation, which represents health organisations, said: 'Difficult decisions will still need to be made as this additional £29billion won't be enough to cover increasing costs of new treatments, with staff pay likely to account for a large proportion of it. 'On its own, this won't guarantee that waiting time targets are met.' Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, told the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester that the health service has done 'really well relative to other parts of the public service'. But he added: 'We all know it's never enough because of the scale of advancement, all the ambition, the day-to-day cost pressures... but I think everyone's starting to accept and understand we've got what the country can afford to give us. 'We really need to get better value for that money – it is broadly the equivalent of the GDP of Portugal, so it's a huge amount.' Government documents accompanying the Spending Review show that, on average, from 2023/24 to 2028/29, the NHS in England will receive 3 per cent real-terms growth in day-to-day spending, equivalent to a £29billion increase in annual budgets The Government said it will also invest up to £10 billion in NHS technology and digital transformation by 2028/29, plus £6 billion to speed up tests and treatments. Scanners, ambulances and urgent treatment centres are among things the additional cash – part of the overall £29 billion – will pay for, with the aim of providing up to 4 million more tests and procedures in the next five years. NHS England figures show 7.42 million treatments were waiting to be done at the end of March, relating to 6.25 million patients – up from 7.4 million and 6.24 million respectively at the end of February.
