Britain set to ban unhealthy food advertisements on TV and internet
The British government has taken a big decision to ban ads promoting unhealthy food from appearing on TV and the internet. The idea is to tackle obesity and encourage healthy eating.
FollowTo beat obesity and encourage healthy eating among its population, Britain is all set to crack down on TV advertisements that promote junk and unhealthy food.
The ban on TV will be during daytime as most children and youngsters are glued to TV sets during these hours. And it will stay till 9 pm.
The ban is likely to be implemented from next year. The government also banned round-the-clock advertisements on the internet of such products.
As per the reports, the foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar content will be banned, however, products such as avocado, honey, olive oil and marmite (food spread made from yeast extract) are exempted although that have high-calorie rate.
The move to ban junk foods has caused resentment from some media groups as well which claim that the move will impact media houses dealing with journalism as it depends on only advertisement revenue.
Keeping in the mind about small business houses hit by the pandemic, the government has restricted business houses with 250 plus employees that are engaged in making and selling such products and exempted small business houses. Although there is a ban on the internet, the products can be advertised via their own websites and social media by 'paid-promotion' instead of round-the-clock advertisement, offering a silver lining to small business houses.
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"The content youngsters see can have an impact on the choices they make and habits they form," Public Health Minister Jo Churchill was quoted as per media reports.
The minister was further quoted as saying, "With children spending more time online it is vital we act to protect them from unhealthy advertising."
As per reports, every month in 2019, nearly 50% of television ads promoted unhealthy food.
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