Responding to the publication of the Government consultation on the application of a new Nutrient Profile Model to the advertising and promotion restrictions, an ISBA spokesperson said:
“The Government has today launched a consultation on applying a new Nutrient Profile Model to restrictions which only came into force three months ago – and to apply it from 2027.
“Given the long process that accompanied the ‘less healthy’ food restrictions, and the promise that the impact of those changes would be reviewed after five years, this proposed moving of the goalposts is disruptive at best and self-defeating at worst.
“If officials push ahead with applying this new NPM to the 9pm TV watershed and online ban, swathes more products which have not been considered ‘unhealthy’ – indeed, products which have been reformulated – will be barred from appearing in ads, from yoghurts to cereals. Having spent millions of pounds on changing what goes into our food and drink, manufacturers will now be told that they cannot market them anyway. The disincentive to future reformulation is obvious.
“ISBA will of course respond to the consultation on behalf of our members, but it is striking that the Government is considering this move before the impact of the LHF restrictions on UK broadcast sector revenue is clear, and that they are doing so at a time of anaemic economic growth. Advertising is a growth multiplier and was identified as a key area in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, but going ahead with this proposal would be a fresh blow to an industry which has constructively engaged with government on matters of public health."