Adverts for junk food and sweets will be banned from hit TV shows including The X Factor, Hollyoaks and Britain’s Got Talent under Labour plans to tackle childhood obesity.
A £250m-a-year fund aimed at making UK youngsters the healthiest in the world would also see investment in school nurses.
In an effort to tackle child mental health problems, the plan would support counselling services in primary and secondary schools. Adverts for unhealthy products high in fat, salt or sugar are already banned on children’s television. Labour’s plans would extend the prohibition to cover all programmes before the 9pm watershed.
Campaigners have argued that the existing ban does not cover TV programmes popular with youngsters but not specifically aimed at them.
Labour highlighted figures suggesting the move would reduce children’s viewing of junk food adverts by 82%. The move is part of a strategy to halve the number of overweight children within 10 years in an effort to curb the £6bn annual cost to the NHS of obesity.
The shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said: “The scandal of child ill-health is a long-standing, growing and urgent challenge. It should be a matter of shame that a child’s health is so closely linked to poverty and that where and in what circumstances you grow up can dramatically affect your life chances.
“Evidence shows the link between deprivation and poor health in childhood, so with child poverty on the rise, the need for action becomes more acute. The UK has one of the worst childhood obesity rates in western Europe. Tooth decay is the single most common reason why children aged five to nine require admission to hospital. Around 13% of boys and 10% of girls aged 11-15 have mental health problems.
“When it comes to our children we should be ambitious. It’s time we invested properly in the health of the next generation. That means the sort of bold action we are outlining today to tackle obesity and invest in mental health provision. Labour will put children at the heart of our health strategy and put measures in place to make Britain’s children the healthiest in the world.”
The £250m child health fund would be paid for by halving the amount the NHS spends on management consultants each year, Labour claimed. The money would be used to expand the public health workforce and help with promotional schemes. The opposition said England has lost 8% of its health visitors since January 2016, and 15% of school nurses since 2010.
Within 100 days of a victory for Jeremy Corbyn on 8 June, Labour would produce a plan to halve childhood obesity within a decade. A new child health bill would write into law the ambition for the UK’s children to be the healthiest in the world and require all government departments to have a strategy in place.
An index of child health would measure progress against international standards and report annually on four key indicators: obesity, dental health, under-fives – including breastfeeding, immunisation and childhood mortality – and mental health.
Labour would ban junk food adverts during TV popular with children
