Food and soft drink advertising to children consultation and regulatory statement (CAP)

Following a full public consultation, we are announcing tough new rules banning the advertising of high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) food or drink products in children’s media. The rules will apply across all non-broadcast media including in print, cinema and, crucially, online and in social media.

The rules, which will apply in media targeted at under-16s, will come into effect on 1 July 2017.

In summary:

Ads that directly or indirectly promote an HFSS product cannot appear in children’s media
Ads for HFSS products cannot appear in other media where children make up over 25% of the audience
Ads for HFSS products will not be allowed to use promotions, licensed characters and celebrities popular with children; advertisers may now use those techniques to better promote healthier options
The Department of Health nutrient profiling model will be used to classify which products are HFSS.

Food and soft drink advertising to children consultation and regulatory statement (CAP)

Supporting documents:

Evaluation tables:

Full responses:

Consultation document and associated annexes:

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