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There are a number of positive initiatives already being undertaken by industry, including changes in communication, product reformulation and the promotion of healthy living campaigns.

Severe new advertising restrictions are unlikely to have a significant impact on the Government’s goal of reducing obesity, but could have a disproportionate and detrimental effect on the commercial broadcasters and the advertising sector. Commercial broadcasters, in particular niche children’s television channels, could potentially face substantial revenue losses.

This will have implications for investment in children’s programmes, as well as on media pluralism, as the commercial television sector could be de-stabilised but the BBC would remain unaffected.

Why not a pre-9pm watershed ban?

There has been an orchestrated media campaign by activists for a pre-9pm watershed ban on “junk food” advertising to all children under 16 years.

Ofcom has recognised that this ‘nuclear option’ would not be sufficiently targeted and disproportionate. Its Chief Executive, Ed Richards, confirmed that it would reduce broadcaster revenues by a sum greater than the entire commercial TV industry’s combined expenditure on all children’s programming and national news coverage, cutting “a swath through quality British made programmes on our TV screens.”

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