IEA - Labour’s advertising restrictions will do nothing to tackle childhood obesity

9 May 2017 09:23 AM

Commenting on the Labour Party’s plan to introduce stricter regulations on advertising of junk food, Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:

“Banning or restricting advertising has barely had any effect on overall consumption of products. Introducing stricter regulations on when food adverts can be shown will do nothing to tackle childhood obesity, and it will be consumers, broadcasters and ultimately television viewers who lose out.

“The UK already enforces the strictest rules on advertising in the whole of Europe – imposing even more regulations would not only be ineffectual in changing individual behaviour, it would further constrain commercial free speech.”

Notes to editors:

For media enquiries please contact Nerissa Chesterfield, Communications Officer: nchesterfield@iea.org.uk 020 7799 8920 or 07791 390 268.

The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.

The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.