The UK government says it could be assessing “partial restrictions” of alcohol advertising that could be closer to regulations in place for junk food in the country.
Yesterday (25 June), a report from Sky News suggested a leaked draft of a ten-year plan for the UK’s National Health Service in England included a ban on alcohol advertising.
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Speaking on the Politics at Sam & Anne’s podcast, Sky News reporter Sam Coates said he had not at that point been told whether an alcohol ad ban had been removed or kept in the final plan.
However a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said today: “The 10 Year Health Plan will not include a ban on alcohol advertising.”
They added: “We are exploring options for partial restrictions to bring it closer in line with the advertising of unhealthy food.”
Commenting on the news, The Portman Group said: “The vast majority of people drink within the Chief Medical Officer’s weekly guidelines. As such, we’re not in favour of broad, sweeping measures that impact that moderate majority whilst ignoring the needs of those who drink at the most harmful levels.
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By GlobalData“We are deeply concerned by figures that tell us that 3% of the UK population drink 30% of total alcohol consumed and so we support the use of targeted measures to manage the complex often interrelated issues resulting in harmful consumption.
“The industry already takes responsible marketing very seriously and we look forward to engaging if there are future consultations around this to ensure we can continue to protect consumers.”
According to the draft document, viewed by Sky News, minimum alcohol pricing, which is already in place in Scotland since 2018, was another element being assessed for England but the broadcaster was reportedly told yesterday such a move has not been included in the final plan.
Restricting opening hours for shops and off-license was also reportedly considered but will also not feature.
A spokesperson for the Advertising Association said: “While we await to hear from the Government on the final content of its NHS 10-year strategy, it is worth noting following a recent alcohol advertising consultation in Scotland, the conclusion was that alcohol advertising should not be subject to further restrictions.
“The strict regulation by the Advertising Standards Authority alongside the Portman Group’s code of practice, both of which are kept under constant review, ensures that alcohol advertising is responsible and that regulation is made on evidence. The lessons learned from the Scottish Government consultation highlight the major economic impact that restrictions would have had on Scottish tourism, sport, hospitality, culture and the funding available to businesses including the media.
“The same considerations should remain true for the rest of the UK.”
The Wine and Spirits Trade Association and The Scotch Whisky Association declined to comment on the news. Just Drinks has also contacted the British Beer and Pub Association for comment.
UK plans on junk food
Advertising restrictions on foods high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) before the 9pm watershed are due to come into play by the start of next year, having been delayed from a 1 October start date. The plans also include a ban on paid-for online ads for HFSS products.
The UK government said last month it had decided to go ahead with the delay due to industry feedback.
It has moved the start date for the regulation to January but said it still “expects” the previous October deadline to be respected.
Labour, and previous Conservative governments, have previously pledged bans on the advertising of less healthy foods, or HFSS products, in an attempt to cut obesity rates, particularly in children, and to try and lower instances of health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
The then Conservative government announced a plan in 2022 to ban the advertising of such products, initially lining up the move for April of that year. There have been a number of delays since, now including the latest push back from October to January.
Ashley Dalton, the Parliamentary under-secretary has confirmed the Government planned to “make and lay” a so-called Statutory Instrument (SI) that will “explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the restrictions”.
The Government, however, is still expecting the pre-9pm watershed ban on junk food advertising to be followed until the full legislation is in place from January.
The latest delay was imposed to allow for a consultation period on the SI draft.
