Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 June 2025
Letter from Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, regarding Less Healthy Food Advertising Restrictions, dated 22 May 2025
From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Inquiry: The work of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Summary
Sir Chris Bryant updates the CMS Committee on changes to less healthy food advertising restrictions. The government will exempt 'brand advertising' via secondary legislation and delay the formal implementation date from 1 October 2025 to 5 January 2026 to allow consultation. Industry has committed voluntarily to comply from October 2025, restricting ads for specific unhealthy products on TV (5:30am–9pm) and online.
Key findings
- Government will introduce secondary legislation to explicitly exempt 'brand advertising' from less healthy food restrictions, addressing advertiser and broadcaster concerns about ASA guidance uncertainty.
- Formal implementation date postponed from 1 October 2025 to 5 January 2026 to allow time for consultation on draft SI.
- Industry stakeholders (advertisers, broadcasters, online platforms, publishers) have made a public commitment to comply voluntarily from 1 October 2025, treating restrictions as though they were already in force.
- From 1 October 2025, adverts for specific identifiable less healthy products will not be shown on TV between 5:30am–9pm or online at any time, in line with government policy.
- DCMS and DHSC coordinating implementation, working with ASA and Ofcom to provide clear guidance and support manifesto commitments on children's health and obesity reduction.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Sir Chris Bryant MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Minister for Public Health, Advertising Association, ASA (Advertising Standards Authority), Ofcom
Notable line
“We want to ensure that the regulations are implemented as this Government, Parliament and the previous Government intended, so that companies may advertise their brands, provided they do not identify a specific less healthy product.”
Key Quotes
“We want to ensure that the regulations are implemented as this Government, Parliament and the previous Government intended, so that companies may advertise their brands, provided they do not identify a specific less healthy product.”
“… from 1 October 2025, and in line with Government's policy intentions, we would expect adverts for specific identifiable less healthy products not to be shown on TV between 5:30am and 9pm or at any time online.”
“We welcome that industry stakeholders have made this commitment and are working with the government to implement this important policy for children's health.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗