LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Kids in the U.K. will be protected from exposure to junk food advertising on TV and online as new regulations come into force to help tackle childhood obesity.
From Monday, adverts for less healthy food and drinks will be banned on television before 9 pm, and online at all times.
This action by the government is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children's diets each year, reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver around 2 billion pounds in health benefits over time, according to the UK Department of Health and Social Care.
Evidence shows advertising influences what and when children eat, shaping preferences from a young age and increasing the risk of obesity and related illnesses. The ban targets the media children and young people use most at the times they use it.
At the start of primary school, more than 22 percent of children in England are living with overweight or obesity and this rises to 35.8 percent by the time they leave. Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for young children (typically ages 5-9) in the UK.
Minister for Health, Ashley Dalton said, 'By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods - making the healthy choice the easy choice for parents and children'.
To tackle obesity and improve diets, the U.K. government has introduced the Healthy Food Standard to make the average shopping basket of goods healthier, and is giving local authorities the power to stop fast food shops setting up outside schools.
Colette Marshall, Chief Executive at Diabetes UK, said, 'The long-awaited move to restrict junk food advertising - along with other measures such as mandatory healthy food sales reporting for businesses and the extension of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy - can help protect the health of our children, creating a future where conditions like type 2 diabetes can be prevented in young people.'
The Soft Drink Industry Levy will be extended to cover more products, including sugary milk-based drinks, and the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 will be banned.
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