Adverts for chutney could be banned before 9pm under Government plans to tackle childhood obesity

Andy Wells
·Freelance Writer
<em>Advertising chutney could be banned before 9pm under Government measures (Rex)</em>
Advertising chutney could be banned before 9pm under Government measures (Rex)

Adverts for food products like chutney and olive oil could fall under a ban on advertising anything high in salt, fat or sugar before 9pm, Channel 4’s chief executive has said.

Speaking about the move, which aims to tackle childhood obesity by limiting adverts for foods like chocolate and crisps, Alex Mahon told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee that the ban would have an impact on other food during programmes not watched by children.

She said: ‘We need to consider what kind of foods this legislation has an impact on.

‘So, right now, for example, we wouldn’t be able to advertise olive oil during Countdown, where there aren’t probably many young people watching.

<em>Products like olive oil may also be affected by the advertising ban (Rex)</em>
Products like olive oil may also be affected by the advertising ban (Rex)

‘We wouldn’t be able to advertise things such as chutney, so there are a number of things that are sort of covered by a blanket ban, which perhaps need to be thought through to make sure there are no unintended consequences.’

Mahon said that Channel 4’s revenue derived from advertising products that would be covered in the ban is ‘of the order of £40 million’, which she said is a ‘substantial’ amount of their overall £900 million revenue and ‘could make an impact on us’.

Her warning came as MPs debated the Government’s childhood obesity strategy.

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Health minister Steve Brine told the Commons the measures announced look to address the ‘heavy promotion and advertising of food and drink products in high fat, salt and sugar on TV, online and in shops’.

He added: ‘Alongside this we want to equip parents with the information they need to make healthy, informed decisions about the food they and their children are eating when they are out and about.

‘We are also promoting a new national ambition for all primary schools to adopt an active mile initiative, like the daily mile, and we will be launching a trailblazer programme working closely with local authorities to show what can be achieved and find solutions to barriers at a local level to address childhood obesity.’

<em>A ban on products high in salt, fat or sugar being advertised during the day could affect more than chocolate and fizzy drinks (Rex)</em>
A ban on products high in salt, fat or sugar being advertised during the day could affect more than chocolate and fizzy drinks (Rex)

However, former Conservative culture secretary John Whittingdale said the ban ‘would do huge damage to the economics of commercial broadcasters, just at a time when fewer and fewer young people are watching scheduled television and are instead now watching the on-demand services, which are the direct competitors of commercial TV stations.’

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said ministers should be restricting the advertising of fudge rather than ‘serving more of it up’.

Mr Ashworth, who asked an urgent question on the proposals, criticised the Government for not including mandatory guidelines on school food standards, powers for councils to limit expansions of takeaways near schools, nor an extension of the sugar tax.