London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Junk food: Obesity strategy falling apart, Jamie Oliver says

Junk food: Obesity strategy falling apart, Jamie Oliver says

Health campaigners say the government's obesity strategy is "falling apart", after it delayed bans on multi-buy deals for junk food and pre-watershed TV advertising for at least a year.

Chef Jamie Oliver said banning adverts was vital to protecting child health.

Multi-buy deals made "people spend more on junk, and less on healthy food", the Children's Food Campaign said.

But ministers say they are deferring the policy to assess its impact on the cost of living crisis.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the planned ban - due to be brought in in October - on "buy one get one free" deals for food and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar as well as free refills for soft drinks, would be put on hold for 12 months.

Plans to restrict TV advertising of junk foods before the 21:00 GMT watershed and paid-for online adverts are also being paused and will not come into force until January 2024, the department added.

It added curbs on junk food placement in stores would still go ahead this October.

Writing on Twitter, Mr Oliver - who has long campaigned to improve children's access to healthier food - said restricting junk food advertising was crucial.

"This is a wasted opportunity and it starts to erode the whole obesity strategy - which at some point looked progressive and world leading written down, but is falling apart when it comes to acting on these policies," he said.

"Parents and kids don't want to hear any more excuses from the government. I really hope the Prime Minister @BorisJohnson proves me wrong and shows real leadership to give young people a healthier and fairer future."

Chef and healthy eating campaigner Jamie Oliver said the government's obesity strategy was being eroded by the delays


The delay was also criticised as "unconservative" by former health minister Lord Bethall, who said it would be "extremely difficult" for the government to come back to the plans before the next election.

Lord Bethell, who previously served in Boris Johnson's government, said illnesses caused by excessive junk food consumption were placing a burden on the NHS and the taxpayer.

Public health research commissioned by the government shows consumers buy around 20% more junk food than they would ordinarily when it is sold via promotion.

It also found that people do not stockpile the extra food and drink, but increase their consumption instead.

A study released by Cancer Research UK in March has also found "strong evidence" of targeted advertising of junk food on social media directly influencing young people aged 11 to 19 into making unhealthy choices.

The charity's chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said she was "incredibly disappointed" over the decision to postpone the bans, saying obesity was the second biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK.

Obesity - what does the data say?


About two thirds of adults in England were overweight or obese - with 28% of these considered to be obese - according to the NHS' most recent health survey in 2019.

Among children aged four to five, 14% are obese, with a further 13% overweight, the National Child Measurement Programme found last year.

When surveying children aged 10 to 11 years old, this rose to 25.5% obese and 15.4% overweight.

These figures showed large increases on the previous year, when 9.9% of children aged four to give and 21% of children aged 10-11 were obese.

Barbara Crowther, of the Children's Food Campaign, said ministers should be urgently curbing multi-buy offers.

"Obesity is spiking and millions of families can't afford to put proper food on the table. Multi-buy offers make people spend more on junk, and less on healthy food," she said.

"This delay threatens the UK target to halve childhood obesity by 2030. Boris is playing politics with our children's health."

Labour's shadow health minister Andrew Gwynne said: "Instead of cutting childhood obesity, preventing ill-health and easing pressure on the NHS, this chaotic government is performing another U-turn."

However, public health minister Maggie Throup insisted the government remained committed to tackling the issue of childhood obesity.

"Pausing restrictions on deals like 'buy one get one free' will allow us to understand its impact on consumers in light of an unprecedented global economic situation," she added.

The British Retail Consortium said the ban on multi-buy deals was unlikely to make much difference as retailers have "largely moved away" from them in recent years.

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the consortium, welcomed the delay on adverting rules as "one less distraction" for companies looking to focus on keeping prices down.

And industry body the Food and Drink Federation argued that it makes sense to delay restrictions on multi-buy deals as families and manufacturers struggle with high inflation. It would also give the industry time to prepare for a change in the law, it said.

When the government unveiled the planned curbs, some of the UK's biggest food companies, including Britvic, Kellogg's and Mars, criticised them as disproportionate and lacking evidence.


The costs of the NHS dealing with obesity in the UK are "vast" and it was time to "get a grip on it", says the PM.




Last month, Kellogg's said it would take the government to court over the curbs preventing some cereals from being placed in key locations in stores due to their high sugar content.

Laws requiring large restaurants, cafes and takeaways to list calories on their menus came into force last month.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
×