ONLINE JUNK FOOD ADS: COULD A BAN CUT OBESITY?

The UK government has proposed a ban on internet ads for junk food. Could it improve the nation’s health?

- DR GILES YEO

On 10 November 2020, the UK government launched a consultation for a total ban on online adverts for ‘junk’ food. The proposed rules, following on from a broader antiobesity strategy published earlier in the year, surprised many for being far tougher than expected. All of this sound and fury, after years of relative inaction, was thought to have resulted from Prime Minister Boris Johnson experiencing a Damascene conversion after he caught COVID-19. He blamed the severity of his symptoms on his elevated weight.

Obesity is indeed one of the biggest public health crises the UK faces, with almost two-thirds of adults either overweight or living with obesity. Crucially, one-third of children leave primary school overweight or with obesity, making them more likely to become adults carrying excess weight.

What the pandemic has crystallised for many, including our PM, is that living with obesity increases your risk of a number of different diseases, infectious or otherwise. Hence this far-reaching proposed ban on all online adverts promoting ‘junk’ food high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), with the explicit aim of helping protect children from developing long-term unhealthy eating habits.