GARDINER SAYS NEW JUNK FOOD BAN AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP
Sam Gardiner MLA, the Ulster Assembly Member for Upper Bann, has said that the total ban on television advertisements for unhealthy food and drinks timed around children’s programmes and adult programmes which children watch has now come into force.
“I believe this is a very important step. Not only does it curb adverts for products high in fat, salt and sugar but the ban will be extended to all specific children’s TV channels by the end of this year. As someone who has campaigned for this for several years, I believe this represents a big advance in the war against childhood diabetes.”
“I also want to praise the regulator Ofcom for developing these new regulations. This is a major step forward but it is not the end of the action which is needed. The next step must be a total ban on advertising these foods, before 9pm.”
“We have got to get children totally out of harm’s way where junk food is concerned. The advertising industry is very inventive and we need now to look at the advertising of junk foods not merely on television but also in other less obvious places, such as teacher packs in schools supplied free by food and drink manufacturers and in the sponsorship of television programmes and series.”
“We cannot afford to lose the battle against diabetes. If we fail, the advance of the disease will do irreparable damage to our health service. Where something is easily preventable we must prevent it. There are enough illnesses out there which will be hard for medical science to conquer without having to divert our much needed health service resources into conditions we can more easily do something about.”