AA comment in response to Government consultation on new Nutrient Profiling Model

On 25 March, UK Government launched a full public consultation on the proposed application of the new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) to the advertising and promotions restrictions for less healthy food and drinks.

A spokesperson for the Advertising Association said:

“It is deeply concerning that the Government has issued a consultation on a policy that would limit advertising of a vast range of products without any assessment of the impact on ad-funded media. This omission must be addressed at the earliest opportunity.

These additional restrictions – suggested less than three months after the less healthy food (LHF) rules were first introduced – threaten to significantly reduce advertising investment in the UK and reduce spend on ad-funded media across broadcasters, journalism, online media, and digital tools.

That is completely at odds with the ambitions set out for the advertising and ad-funded businesses in the Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan. It must be urgently reconsidered.

To add, the scientific evidence is clear that advertising bans do not reduce obesity, as set out today in a new essay Does advertising cause childhood obesity? by Professor Charles R. Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Advertising. The consistent conclusion across hundreds of studies, large-scale reviews and meta-analyses is that advertising restrictions have limited or no causal effect on either long-term childhood obesity or BMI, while positive public health campaigns have proven benefits. Advertising largely drives competition between brands, not overall consumption.”