Campaigners hit out at UK government decision delaying HFSS advertising ban

Health campaigners have criticised a UK government decision to further delay the introduction of legislation banning marketing on food product ranges including snacks and confectionery considered high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), following sustained industry-wide lobbying, writes Neill Barston.

According to the non-profit group Action On Salt, the new laws, which were due to come into force from this October (having already been pushed back a year by the previous Conservative government), have offered a major setback in tackling a UK-wide obesity crisis, with the laws now not due to come into force until January 2026.

The move, as reported by the Financial Times, comes amid a period of considerable turbulence within the retail sector, with consumer confidence experiencing a particular drop amid an economic slowdown that has dented shoppers’ spending power and disposable income levels.

According to the national paper, this had led retailers to push back against the new legislation banning advertising to children before the 9watershed and online, as they feared significant negative impact at a time when marketing operations had already been reduced amid a period of cutbacks. As Confectionery Production has reported, consumers have continued to express concern regarding high levels of inflation in chocolate, sweet packaged goods and snacks, which have all experienced major price hikes in the past few years, while being subject to ‘shrinkflation’ measures of reduced portion sizes, as manufacturers look to offset heightened ingredients costs. 

Sonia Pombo, Head of Impact & Research, Action on Salt commented on the latest UK government decision. She said: “The government continues to cave to the food industry’s every whim and it is beyond disappointing – yet not surprising. We saw it with the previous government, and we are seeing it now. These ad restrictions were first discussed over 6 years ago and have the potential to greatly improve the health of our children yet there is a lack of clear clarity, drive, and intention, allowing the industry to exploit loopholes.

“It should not take 6 years to implement a policy, and this news raises genuine questions as to where the government’s commitment really lies. Their promise to raise the healthiest generation of children in history seems to be as full of holes as their policies.”

Katharine Jenner, Obesity Health Alliance Director shared the concerns over the apparent policy u-turn, which was reportedly put down to the need for greater clarity on the areas covered by the new restrictions.

She said: “This Government committed in its manifesto and via the King’s Speech to ending junk food ads targeting children. But just like its predecessor, it appears to be caving to industry pressure and delaying the implementation of these long-overdue restrictions.

“We’re seeing the result of a coordinated attack by companies selling the unhealthiest food and drinks and the advertising industry – all working to weaken the policy and delay action.

“The Government insists that this decision is not abandoning their commitments on children’s health – it’s just cleaning up a technical issue. It is now up to them to prove that’s true – by implementing the evidence based policies to make it easier for everyone to eat healthily in their 10 Year NHS Plan and Food Strategy. We will not see the changes we need in children’s health and reduced pressure on the NHS from dietary diseases unless they resist pressure from companies that want to put their profits before the health of the country,” adding that she hoped that there would be collaborative work put forward urgently to place children’s health first.