The list of goods that Britons should not be tempted with through TV commercials is long.
From New Year, there will be no advertising for chocolate, burgers, soft drinks, cakes, ice cream, biscuits, potato chips or pizza. It writes BBC. Cereals, yoghurts, ready meals and fried fish are also included in the new advertising rules.
60 percent overweight
The ban shall apply from 05.30 in the morning and at 21.00 in the evening.
The rules for online advertising must also be tightened.
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnsen has said that fighting obesity is the most important task for the government.
Since the 1990s, the British have steadily increased their weight. Today, 60 per cent of adults in the UK are overweight.
The advertising industry is responding
Last year, 800 food and beverage companies signed a letter protesting the proposal. Among other things, they thought that the plan was poorly worked out and did not take enough account of input.
The advertising agencies are not thrilled either. Their industry organization refers to the government’s own impact assessment. It states that an advertising ban on unhealthy foods will only remove around 1.7 calories per day from a child’s diet. That equates to half Smarties.
A representative of the advertising industry also tells the BBC that they are appalled by the new rules. They believe that this could lead to job losses in TV companies and websites.
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