Should porridge be considered junk food under new UK ad rules?
Adverts for popular breakfast staples like porridge, muesli and crumpets will soon be banned under the UK’s strict new junk food advertising rules. The legislation, aimed at tackling childhood obesity, targets foods high in sugar, salt, or fat, including items traditionally seen as ‘healthy’.
Starting from October next year, companies will be banned from advertising ‘unhealthy food’ online or on TV before the 9pm watershed. The move marks a significant expansion of the government’s efforts to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy foods – with ministers saying that 7.2bn calories per year are expected to be removed from UK children’s diets, preventing an estimated 20,000 cases of childhood obesity.
‘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,’ said Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting. ‘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, happy start to life.’
Is porridge junk food?
The inclusion of everyday breakfast foods has sparked some debate. Among the targeted items are ‘breakfast cereals including ready-to-eat cereals, granola, muesli, porridge oats and other oat-based cereals.’
(Although, it's worth noting that the specific example given on the government website, in relation to porridge, is ‘porridge oats, including instant porridge and other hot oat-based cereals’ – we assume plain porridge oats won’t be banned, but porridge with excess sugar and salt will fall into the banned ‘breakfast cereal’ category).
Studies and health authorities – including the NHS and the British Heart Foundation – endorse unsweetened porridge oats as a healthy breakfast option, citing their high fibre content and potential to lower cholesterol.
Nutritionist Tina Lond-Caulk – aka The Nutrition Guru – previously told Women's Health that: ‘Oats really are fantastic for our health. Oats are rich in soluble fibre, particularly beta-glucans which can help lower bad cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. They are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and iron.’
Some critics have argued that the broader inclusion of porridge oats risks demonising a food that can support a healthy diet when consumed in its natural form.
Professor Gunter Kuhnle, an expert in nutrition and food science at the University of Reading, branded the proposals as ‘unhelpful’, saying that ‘some of these foods are probably very healthy — for instance porridge, or some non-sugar cereals’.
While Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, previously said during a debate on similar Scottish regulations: ‘The humble porridge oat is in large part what most of Scotland goes to work and to school on, it’s quite a leap and something of an overreach to single it out for inclusion in the government’s crackdown on unhealthy food promotions.’
Crumpets, scones, croissants, pains au chocolat, pancakes, waffles, muffins, flapjacks and mini rolls are also all considered junk food under the new advertising ban.
While most experts agree that limiting the promotion of sweets, crisps, biscuits, soft drinks and confectionery is a good idea, nutritionists have urged policymakers not to conflate all oat-based products with unhealthy processed food. Dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton argued it sent ‘the wrong message’ and warned the government to avoid ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’ in its obesity-fighting drive.
‘I am concerned that the new rules will catch other foods which are important nutrient sources, but contain small amounts of sugar or salt,’ she added. ‘For example, products like kids’ yoghurts and fromage frais are rich in calcium and typically fortified with vitamin D. Most contain a small amount of sugar – otherwise the majority of children would not eat them.
‘Similarly, with breakfast cereals, some types are excellent sources of fibre and wholegrains but, without their small amount of sugar and salt, would be unpalatable for many people. The yoghurt and breakfast cereal categories were singled out a few years ago by Public Health England for being the most successful at sugar reduction. It would send the wrong message to demonise them now.’
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