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Britain set to ban online advertisements of junk food to fight obesity

Britain set to ban online advertisements of junk food to fight obesity

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Britain is thinking of banning advertisements of junk food online. On Tuesday, the country proposed a ban in a bidto fight obesity and to improve public health.

The government added that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made public health more urgent than ever before.

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Additionally, the government claimed that obesity continues to be Britain’s biggest long-term public health issue. As per government figures, at least two-thirds of adults in England are overweight, and one in three children passing out of primary school are obese.

If implemented, the ban would restrict online advertisements of foods that have high content of fat, sugar, and salt.

"We know as children spend more time online, parents want to be reassured they are not being exposed to adverts promoting unhealthy foods, which can affect eating habits for life," Matt Hancock, health minister said in a statement.

Besides its previously known health risks, COVID-19 has shown how obesity can cause deaths in people who contract coronavirus, along with serious illnesses.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has used his personal experience with COVID-19 to suggest that he needs to lose weight.

This would mean a complete ban online for unhealthy foods, in addition of the government’s plans to ban advertisements of unhealthy foods before 9 PM on television.