UK Bans Junk Food Ads to Fight Childhood Obesity; Germany Sticks to Voluntary Regulation
While the UK has taken stringent measures to combat childhood obesity by banning junk food advertising, Germany continues to rely on voluntary self-regulation, with no advertising ban in sight.
In the UK, the Labour government has implemented a ban on junk food advertising before 9 PM on TV and a complete online ban, aiming to reduce children's calorie intake by 7.2 billion per year and tackle obesity. One in ten UK children is obese by the age of four, and the government seeks to save billions in NHS costs.
In contrast, Germany has not implemented statutory bans on unhealthy food advertising. The federal government prefers voluntary self-regulation through the German Advertising Council's code of conduct. Past attempts to introduce advertising bans targeting children, such as former nutrition minister Cem Özdemir's proposal in 2023, have failed due to political resistance, notably from the FDP. The current government has no plans to change this approach, despite the high costs of obesity-related illnesses in the country. Around 4.6% of 5 to 17-year-olds were obese in Germany in 2023, according to a DAK study. Consumer organization Foodwatch has called on the federal government to follow the UK's example and ban junk food advertising.
While the UK takes decisive action to combat childhood obesity through advertising bans, Germany sticks to voluntary self-regulation. The impact of this difference in approach on public health remains to be seen.
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