Crackdown on HFSS advertising

The report focuses on the adverts shown during Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year, which is known to be one of the most popular shows with children aged 4-15. The analysis shows that hundreds of thousands of children saw well over 4 mins of HFSS (high in fat, sugar and salt) advertising during one episode and research shows that this translates to children eating over 60 more calories a day, which will lead to excess weight.

This evidence challenges lobbyists in the industry who state that children don’t see enough HFSS advertising to lead to excess calorie intake.

Other key points from the report include:

• Over 1 in 5 (23%) of all adverts shown before 9pm was for a HFSS product. This rose to nearly 30% during an episode shown on 30th May.

• A child who watched all 6 episodes shown during the week up to 9pm would see over 22 minutes of unhealthy food and drink adverts – which could lead to them eating an additional 300 plus calories.

• Just 2% of all adverts analysed were for fruit or vegetables.

We must protect children from exposure to adverts for HFSS foods and drinks that we know can influence their preferences, choices, and intake. To do this, the Government must act to extend existing regulations to restrict HFSS advertising on TV until after the 9pm watershed.

Have a read of the report and find out more by following @OHA_updates