A UK ban on advertising junk food to children under the age of 16 has been extended to include non-broadcast media.

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The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), the body responsible for regulating non-broadcast advertising, has introduced new rules governing the advertising of junk food to the under-16s. The regulations mirror the Advertising Standards Agency’s restrictions preventing food companies advertising unhealthy products during children’s programming.


The rules, which will come into force on 1 July, are designed to tackle the problem of growing childhood obesity.


Fresh fruit and vegetable products are exempt from the regulations, which state that ads should not encourage poor nutritional habits, excessive food consumption or offer a misleading impression of the health benefits of a product. Advertisers have been banned from using promotional offers ‘irresponsibly’, using hard sell techniques or using licensed characters or celebrities in ads aimed at pre-school children and those at primary school.


“These comprehensive new rules are designed to help protect children’s health while still allowing advertisers an appropriate degree of freedom to promote their products,” CAP chairman Andrew Brown said.

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