Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Obesity Reduction

Tuesday 1 September 2020 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Alun Cairns questioned the Minister about the potential unintended consequences of banning advertisements for unhealthy food items.
  • The Minister acknowledged that children spend more time viewing content online than through traditional television.
  • The Minister stated that the consultation includes consideration of the online space to address these impacts thoroughly.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alun Cairns Con Champion Pressing Forward
Environment
Context

The topic of reducing obesity rates, particularly among children and young people, has strong support. There are calls for advertising bans on high salt and sugar content products.

Question

Are you aware that banning advertisements for unhealthy food items could lead to more targeted online ads which might be even more effective in attracting customers? Does the Minister agree this is a complex issue requiring thorough analysis before deciding on clear policies?

Answer from Jo Churchill

I thank my right hon Friend Alun Cairns, a keen marathon runner with an interest in keeping fit. I agree that children's online viewing time is much greater than terrestrial television watching. That is why we have included consultation on the online space to ensure full consideration of all impacts before any changes to advertising restrictions are introduced.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email