The national coverage on the newly announced HFSS ad ban has been preoccupied with the inclusion of porridge. It’s utter nonsense, and seems a deliberate attempt to mislead consumers.
We strongly welcome the advertising guidelines set to come into force in October 2025. They are a significant and long-overdue step toward prioritising children’s health, and will give healthier options the visibility they deserve. The government has sent a clear message to the industry that the days of advertising unhealthy food to children on TV before 9pm, or anytime online, are over.
Thirteen categories have been identified as being the largest contributors of sugar and calories in children’s diets, many of which – like certain porridges – contain hidden sugars. If the product is not in one of those categories, it can be freely advertised.
Within those categories, if the identified product is ‘less healthy’, meaning it fails the government’s nutrient profiling model for being high in saturated fat, sugar or salt, and low in fruit and vegetables or protein, then it cannot be advertised online or before 9pm on TV.
The high-sugar products can still be sold and eaten, just not advertised – manufacturers can still profit from making them, and shoppers can still buy them as normal. Of course, responsible companies can improve their recipes, take out hidden sugar, fat and salt, and then they too can be freely advertised.
For far too long, the food industry has pushed back against these common-sense regulations on junk food advertising. They’ve claimed they need ‘more time to prepare’, and have looked to water down the restrictions at every stage to ensure their products are exempt. Meanwhile, ads for sugary drinks, salty snacks, and other unhealthy products have continued to dominate children’s screens, shaping their preferences and eating habits.
Starting in October 2025, these new rules will ensure unhealthy food and drink adverts no longer target children online or during peak viewing hours on TV. This is a critical move to protect children’s wellbeing, and should be the first step that fully consigns the advertising of unhealthy food to the dustbin of history.
If food companies are adding so much sugar to products like porridge and muesli that they become ‘unhealthy’, how many other products that we think are good for us are actually full of things that harm us?
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