JUNK food ads will be banned from TV before 9pm and axed entirely online in a bid to tackle childhood obesity.
Ministers will today unveil the new law, set to kick in from October 1, 2025.
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It will restrict ads for products high in fat, salt, or sugar to post-watershed slots on TV, while banning all paid-for junk food advertising online for chains such as McDonald’s.
Health chiefs predict the move will strip 7.2billion calories a year from kids’ diets.
They say it will prevent 20,000 cases of obesity and slash rates of diet-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Obesity robs our kids of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, and costs the NHS billions.
“This government is taking action now to end the targeting of junk food ads at kids, across both TV and online.
“This is the first step to deliver a major shift in the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention — and towards meeting our government’s ambition to give every child a healthy start.”
The legislation includes exemptions for baby formula, medicinal drinks and approved meal replacements.
The ban stems from a 2021 pledge by the Tories, but was delayed to give businesses more time to adjust.
However, critics hit out at the move, with the Institute of Economic Affairs branding it “bad news for broadcasters, online platforms and their users”.
The IEA’s Chris Snowdon said: “Every other anti-obesity policy has failed, including the sugar tax and mandatory calorie labelling, and I see no reason why this will be any different.”