This 'Healthy' Meal Is Surprisingly Included in Junk Food Ad Ban And It's Raising Big Questions

One food that is consumed across all ages and is said to have potential health benefits was deemed as 'junk' in the UK.

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Man Eating Food at Home. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images |EyeEm Mobile GmbH)

The UK is set to implement a nationwide crackdown on junk food advertising to curb the increasing cases of childhood obesity. This is essentially the government’s way of facilitating prevention over cure, and will restrict all junk food companies from showing ads before 9 p.m. Surprisingly, the list includes food items previously marked as superfoods and healthy. Like any other initiative, there are two sides to the advert ban. Some chefs and experts are optimistic about its impact on society and people’s food habits, while others, such as businesses and families, are skeptical about the advert ban sparking any meaningful change, as per the BBC.

Child eating bowl of cereal and milk dripping off spoon. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images |RJW)

Porridges and some breakfast cereals made it to the notorious list of junk foods that are set to be banned until 9 pm in the country. The legislation will apply to both paid online and TV advertisements to tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity. The advert ban will be implemented in October 2025 and lists a range of food varieties– from soft drinks to ice cream and bakery goods. However, the inclusion of breakfast cereals like granola and muesli, and oats came off as a shock for many consumers. This is primarily due to their high sugar content, which urged the authorities to classify them as “less healthy foods.”

A box full of dough nuts. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images |Andrew Hetherington)

Hence, adverts for these foods like "porridge oats, including instant porridge and other hot oat-based cereals" will be banned from TV until 9 p.m.Sweetened yoghurts, sugary and fizzy drinks, and some fruit juices will all be restricted from TV to prevent children from consuming them. A designated scoring system will categorize the products based on their sugar, salt, or fat content and ban the adverts accordingly. Even though the ban was first announced by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tackle the issue back in 2021, it was delayed until 2025. This year, the government hopes to execute the advert ban, the report stated.

Woman making healthy breakfast in kitchen (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Alvarez)

First in the history of the UK, this advert ban follows studies suggesting the alarming rise in childhood obesity levels, with one in 10 reception-aged children suffering from the health condition. Additionally, the National Health Scheme found out that 23.7% of children suffer from tooth decay by age five because of excessive sugar consumption. "The government is taking very concerted, bold, and very brave action against big food [companies] who have complete control of our food environment,” said chef and restaurant owner, Ms. Miers, in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Putting too much sugar on corn flakes. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Peter Dazeley)

She criticized Europe for having the “worst diet,” which causes discomfort, pain, long-term sickness, and early death. The rising cases have the NHS stressed out, thus forcing them to take action to relieve the market of unhealthy food products. Bakery goods classified as unhealthy due to their sugar content have led to business owners like Prasanna Callaghan, who runs Crumpets cafe near Buckingham Palace, to fret over the advert ban. She said, "If you categorise crumpets as a junk food, that will have a great impact on my business – basically what they're saying is: 'you shouldn't eat crumpets', indirectly." Ready meals, pizza, and potato-based products like chips were also included in the ban.