Advertising ban for fruit juices proposed
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- Published: Tuesday, 27 March 2018 07:43
- Written by News Editor
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The vast majority of fruit juices will be banned from advertising aimed at children in a bid to cut down on juvenile obesity and tooth decay, the Government has proposed. Ads for all but the healthiest high-fibre breakfast cereals and most yoghurts should also be banned from ad breaks on children’s television, Public Health England has said.
Under new rules, 90% of fruit juices will be deemed too sugary to advertise, with only those highest in fibre and “bits” eligible for promotion. Only nine per cent are banned at the moment. Fruit juices have not been deemed unhealthy per se, and Public Health England still recommends that 150ml diluted and consumed with a meal is acceptable. The proposed new framework reflects growing disquiet around the amount of juice children drink. Some contain more sugar than certain fizzy drinks.
The proportion of milkshakes that can be marketed at children will also be cut from just under three-quarters to 55% as part of a wider strategy to tackle soaring obesity levels. The measures, which have been published for consultation, were last night welcomed by health campaigners who said they showed the Government was starting to “get real” about the dangers of too much juice.
They come a fortnight ahead of the introduction of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy – dubbed the “sugar tax” – which imposes a tax on sodas, such as some Coca-Cola and Pepsi products, containing more than five grams of sugar per 100ml. Fruit juices and milkshakes, however, are exempt.
Under the updated Nutrient Profiling Model, products which receive a negative score are banned from advertising during programming believed to attract an audience comprising 25 per cent or more children. This includes advertisements on all broadcast media, print, social media and in cinemas. While specific product placement is not necessarily banned within children’s programmes themselves, the depiction of high fat, sugar or salt food or drink must be “editorially justified”, according to Ofcom.
A blueberry muffin 'could have day's worth of sugar'
Some brands of blueberry muffins contain up to eight teaspoons of sugar, more than a can of Coke, according to a report from Action on Sugar and the Obesity Health Alliance. On average, muffins bought on-the-go at railway station food outlets had 19% more sugar per portion and were almost a third bigger than those bought in supermarkets. Meanwhile, 61% of all the muffins included in the survey contained six teaspoons of sugar or more, which is the upper daily limit for a child aged seven to ten years old.
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