Food and Drink Federation responds to Government advertising ban plans

The FDF’s Chief Scientific Officer, Kate Halliwell, said:

"We are disappointed that the Government continues to press ahead with its headline chasing policies rather than making serious interventions which will help reduce obesity rates.

“Proposed advertising bans on TV and online would remove less than four calories a day from children’s diets, according to the Government’s own estimates. And yet the proposals limit the scope for advertising products that are widely recognised to contribute to a healthy diet; for example Jordan’s would not be able to advertise their Fruit and Nut Granola as it contains fruit and nuts which contain naturally occurring sugars and fats. The proposals would also make it difficult to advertise many products that have been carefully reformulated or created in smaller portions in-line with the Government’s own targets.

“Not only do the proposals signal a lack of joined-up policy, the implementation periods for both advertising and promotional restrictions do not give businesses enough time to prepare for the changes. While we are disappointed that Government is pressing ahead with its plans for the bans, we will continue to work with Government constructively to ensure the policies are practical.”

For information, please contact press.office@fdf.org.uk 020 7836 2460.