Junk food sponsorship of sports should be banned to protect children’s health Experts say, warning advertisements More than ever have become “comprehensive” and “major”.
Cadbury, Pepsi, KP Snacks, Walker, Cellogues, Red Bull and Monster are Just some brand That hold Partnership with sports starsTop flight teams, or official governing bodies.
They include top men’s and female football stars Cole Palmer, Bookyo Saka, Lia Williamson, and Lauren James, England Cricket captain Ben Stokes, cyclist Tom Pidcock and Formula 1 driver Lando Noris.
As Published research By the journal BMJJunk food firms have more than 90 current sponsorship deals within the top UK Games.
Research argues that these sponsorship junk helps to give food companies to give “health halo effect”, making their products more acceptable and even less harmful.
Researchers also found advertising Top sports personalities improve the opinion of children’s unhealthy foods that are high in salt and sugar such as fizzi drinks and crisp.
Robin Ireland, at Glasgow University School of Health and Welling, said, “These players are completely in physical condition, and they are unfortunately promoting products that are not usually in the diet of athletes.”
He said, “We should not allow food brands to use the game to promote the consumption of their unhealthy products. It should simply be banned,” he said.
The government is ready to introduce laws to ban advertisements for fats, salt and high -growing products in January 2026 before 9PM TV watershade.
childhood obesity According to NHS, all are growing fastest and fifth children between the ages of 10 to 11 are living with obesity.
Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Glasgow, Dr. Neveda Sattar will welcome a ban, but believes it will have a minor impact.
He said, “This issue is much wider compared to sponsorship because there are just a lot of cheap calories available everywhere. Any action alone – such as cutting advertising by food companies in sports – will have trivial effects on food atmosphere or food habits,” he said. Independent,
Nutritionist Rob Hobson stressed that the game should be about “promoting health”.
“When you have found athletes and teams with big names supported by ultra-processed food brands, it can send a misleading message to children and families,” he said that he said that Independent,
Labor MP and GP Simon Opere argued that BMJ’s findings demonstrated “actual sports washing” and said “it reflects tobacco industry activity in the 1970s, when it deliberately targets the game.” He asked a parliamentary question to ask the Health Secretary whether he is planning to bring forward legislative proposals to ban sponsorship of sports by unhealthy food brands. ,
The government replied that it had no current plan to ban sponsorship of sports by food brands associated with less healthy food or drink products or to ban advertising of less healthy food or beverage products in sports events. ”
It states, “We continue to review the evidence of less healthy food or drink product advertising children and consider where further action is required.”