Britain has its own problems: London has begun the fight against childhood obesity

In the UK, on January 5, a ban on advertising products high in fat, sugar and salt on television until 21.00 officially came into force, as well as a complete ban on such advertising on the Internet. This is reported by The Guardian.

It is noted that the restrictions apply to 13 categories of products that fall under the definition of HFSS — that is, containing an increased amount of salt, sugar or fat. Now such products cannot be advertised either on children's platforms on the Internet, or in the evening before the "watershed" on TV. As Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, noted, the introduction of the ban was "a global breakthrough in protecting children from the constant pressure of junk food advertising." She stressed that such advertising has a serious impact on the eating habits of the younger generation.

Despite the fact that the rules formally began to take effect only now, the country's advertising industry began to voluntarily comply with them back in October last year. This led to the fact that Christmas advertising campaigns for the first time became predominantly focused on "healthy" foods, such as fruits and vegetables. At the same time, the new rules turned out to be quite strict and affected even those goods that are often perceived as useful. For example, restrictions affected all types of sandwiches, crackers and a significant part of the range of breakfast cereals, including muesli and oatmeal. At the same time, large brands — such as McDonald's or Cadbury — were allowed to place "image" advertising if the videos do not show specific products.

Recall, the initiative to limit the advertising of unhealthy food has been discussed in the UK since 2020 and has become part of a long-term strategy to reduce the level of obesity among children and adolescents. According to the British government, 22.1% of children in the country are overweight or obese when entering primary school. By the time of graduation, this figure increases to 35.8%.