What will remain of the United Kingdom’s upcoming anti-obesity legislation, which was intended to address the country’s alarming rate of overweight children? First suggested by the Conservative government of Boris Johnson in summer 2020, the plan has continued to be watered down or postponed. On Thursday, May 22, Keir Starmer’s Labour government confirmed that new rules banning television advertising for so-called “ultra-processed” foods (those high in salt, sugar, fat and dangerously addictive) before 9 pm – and prohibiting such ads entirely online – would not come into force on October 1 as planned, but on January 1, 2026. These rules will not apply to public flyers, radio advertising, or ads within podcasts and streaming services such as Spotify.
William Roberts of the Royal Society for Public Health said the delay was a significant setback for public health, and urged the government that children’s health could not be put on hold. The chief executive officer of the charity said limiting advertising for junk food aimed at young people was a key element in preventing health problems among children.
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