UK junk food ad ban so diluted it may be largely ineffective, experts say

Exclusive: Report suggests only 1% of annual spend on food and drink adverts will be affected after industry lobbying

The junk food ad ban intended to curb childhood obesity will only affect 1% of the £2.4bn spent annually on advertising food and drink, and may prove a “paper tiger”, ministers have been told.

The government has hailed the ban on advertising foods high in fat, salt and sugar, which came into force on 5 January, as a decisive and world-leading move that will remove 7.2bn calories from UK children’s diets every year.