UK: Government Postpones White Paper

The government appears to be sidelining proposals to ban food advertising aimed at children. The James Report on the health of English schoolchildren, commissioned by the Department of Health, called for a number of strict controls over the sale of food to children, including a food advertising ban. Furthermore, the White Paper outlining the role of the proposed Food Standards Agency (FSA) has now been delayed until the spring of 1998; earlier this year the government said it would be published by November 1997 at the latest. Jeff Rooker, Minister for Food Safety, seemed to confirm that nutrition may not, after all, be a central responsibility of the FSA when he said that the FSA’s “basic function will be to ensure the safety of food production…[and it would also have] a substantial role in nutritional aspects.” The Advertising Association met Professor James last week and discussed the issue of food advertising to children.