From next October, the UK is going to ban products classed as HFSS (high in fat, sugar, and salt) from being advertise before the 21.00 watershed.
This may sound draconian, but the reasoning is that a whopping 64% of the UK population are now either overweight or obese, and diet-related diseases cost the UK economy around £260BN a year in direct costs to the NHS and lost productivity.
This puts the economic costs of unhealthy food consumption right up there with smoking and alcohol induced health problems.
This is not so much because the harms of an unhealthy diet are greater per person than those induced by alcohol and smoking, rather it's because unhealthy eating is just much more widespread.
Given the costs associated with poor diets, and given the kind of sleepwalking we've had into our diets getting steady worse, you would have thought everyone would get behind such a VERY specific ban.
But not the good old Daily Mail
And other shit rags, seeking to make yet more profit out of twisting the nature of the ban...
Hence we have a mainstream media narrative focusing on the “bonkers Labour junk food crackdown”, with recent headlines telling us that porridge is going to be banned.
The only problem is that this simply isn't true: normal oats, that is just oats, aren't covered by the ban.
The ban only covers some of the ultra-processed porridge varieties, such as porridge pots loaded with syrup and/ or cocoa, and a whole range of colourings and artificial flavourings, what you might more accurately call 'porridge like substances' rather than describing them as actual porridge.
In truth it's a very limited ban...
The BBC have a more reliable guide...
For a food to be banned for advertisement it has to be classified as unhealthy, that is have above a certain amount of sugar, salt or fat AND to fall under one of 13 food categories, such as muesli, soft drinks, cakes, and so on, so it has to be processed.
In short, things like Salted Caramel porridge and chocolate flavoured muesli are out, Tesco own oats, just oats, are still allowed free-reign on advertising.
Fresh foods such as Avocados with their high fat content or nuts, just nuts, won't be banned from advertising.
The details are yet to be fleshed out....
A good thing...?
Well from a pure libertarian perspective, yes, but honestly it's only before 21.00, it's so limited to ultra processed food, the costs of people sleepwalking into habitually eating this shit are so great, I've no problem with this policy at all.
I've much more of a problem with shit rags twisting the facts.
There's so much misinformation that comes from the media and they push whatever agenda they would like and it seems like the facts don't matter one bit. People soak it up too and seem reluctant to even consider determining the facts before they take it on as "the truth" which is one of the reasons people are so clueless.
Becca 🌷
Yeah don't rely on tit bits from the media is the lesson!
Those shitrags will twist anything to suit their agenda. The obesity epidemic is horrendous and their mates in the industry are happy to profit from it.
That is the grim truth!
What is cost and expense for someone is profit for somebody else…
Again, western civilisation’s hypocrisy at work. All these foods must be banned not ads for them.
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 45/75) Liquid rewards.
I'd certainly be in favour of harder restrictions!
I'm not sure rightwing scandal rags worth wasting your energy on. Good for clickbait, I suppose.
I think it's more of a problem that so many low-income households don't have a cooker or freezer and, at the same time, have greater access to fast food outlets - 1 in 3 food outlets in deprived areas compared to 1 in 5 outlets in the most affluent areas. @phoenixwren did an interesting post some years ago about the difference in choice in supermarkets in poorer areas - no non-sweetened yoghurts, for example - and richer areas.
Coming to the governments list: a couple of surprises there for me - syrups get a pass and "non-dairy alternatives, probiotic yoghurt and drinkable varieties" don't?
Yeah, with all my allergies I still go out of my way to shop in the rich neighborhood's grocery store because they don't have the versions I can eat at the closer, poorer grocery store of the same company.
Here the big conservative-news-outlets-are-freaking-out-about-it issue is, they are banning the "fun flavors" for vape pens and any other tobacco products. Only in Denver, it isn't even state-wide. The logic is because kids vape more than smoke - like, smoking was on the out and then vaping came along and captured the youth market. And the fruit flavors and whatever is basically the appeal to them to start. So if an adult really wanted to smoke their grape flavored vape, they can go get it in the burbs if they wanted. But a high school kid who maybe doesn't have a car yet might not bother, and they can't just grab some at the corner store on the way to school or whatever. But the way the adverts are playing it, you'd think they were taking away our constitutional rights. Nah, they're just cutting into the profits of big tobacco and maybe saving some kids from addiction.
There's a bunch of issues here one these bans are limited in scope, it's all manipulated to fit people's narratives and in the end the companies will get around any regulation.
I hate govern-cement bans!
The govern-cement never fixes anything. So, i am more willing to believe that there is worse food going to be pushed on the people during this coming media circus.
The number one cause of bad health is seed oils. So, where are they on this list?
Fat is good for you, if it is good fat.
Our low fat diet fads have created Alzheimer's imho, as it robbed the body of necessary oils to build protective sheathing for nerves. Or, again that may have been replacing good fats with seed oils.
I truly doubt that govern-cement has climbed out of the BigAg pocket, and suddenly developed a concern about the citizens.
Lol!!, the good ‘ole clickbait DM. Is there any topic they have ever covered without liberally spearing it with BS 😂😂
Junk food is junk, glad to see this seeping into govt thinking. It’s also good to see we are not 100% captured by corporates here in the UK. This move must have been very unpopular with some (all?) of the big boys, but for once its a move in the public interest, one small step, but a step none the less