Why protein shakes and stuffed pasta will be banned from TV adverts before 9pm next year
From next year onwards, a whole load of foods and drinks won't be allowed on TV adverts before the watershed, which is 9pm if you're not up on telly-speak.
You can wave goodbye to seeing ads for fizzy drinks and milkshakes before bedtime, while ice cream, cakes, sweets, biscuits and chocolate bars are also going to be viewed late at night only.
To think that lady doing the 'full moon, half moon' method of eating a Jaffa Cake was ever allowed on TV before 9pm, the mind boggles.
Beyond the obviously sugary examples, there's several more items on the list which will soon be banished beyond the watershed, including the wonderfulness that is crumpets.
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Also facing a ban on featuring in TV adverts before 9pm are the likes of protein shakes and stuffed pasta dishes like ravioli and tortellini.
Why is this happening?
In the case of protein shakes and stuffed pasta it's because they contain too much of stuff the government has deemed to be bad.
Many protein shakes contain added sugar and thus fall into the 'drinks containing added sugar' category, which is getting banned from pre-watershed TV.
Hot chocolate, tea and coffee are also part of this category, so if the PG Tips monkey wants to make his TV comeback, it'll have to be a late night deal.
As for stuffed pasta dishes, they've been grouped in with 'ready meals', so they along with fish fingers (sorry, Captain Birdseye), chicken nuggets and chicken Kievs are part of the banned gang, as are sandwiches.
We must protect our children from the horrors of ravioli.
The upcoming government ban on advertising food deemed 'unhealthy' to children had been due to come into effect in 2021 but was punted several years down the calendar to give businesses more time to prepare.
From 1 October, 2025, there's a huge amount of things you won't see adverts for with the government having devised a system for what's ok to show before 9pm and what isn't based on the sugar, fat and protein content of a food or drink.
A recent report claimed that the UK's unhealthy eating was costing the country about £268 billion a year in terms of healthcare costs and lost productivity due to illness.
The full list of 13 types of food and drinks being banned from appearing on TV adverts before 9pm is as follows:
Soft drinks
Fruit-based drinks, fizzy pop, milkshakes, hot chocolates, tea and coffees have not passed the government's test to be advertised on TV.
According to the NHS, a can of cola can have as much as 9 cubes of sugar in it - which is more than the recommended amount for adults.
As we said, due to their added sugar, protein shakes are part of this group.
Bakery foods
If you liked the Warburtons ads then we're very, very sorry as you can forget looking at the TV and seeing a croissant on there.
Items we'd normally consume for breakfast like croissants, pain au chocolat and other pastries are part of this ban, but it also extends to items like crumpets, scones, hot cross buns, brioches, fruit loaves or pancakes.
Even those that don't include dairy or gluten are also excluded from advertising.
Cereal
While you'd assume that cereals like granola and muesli passed the health test it turns out not to be the case.
According to the government, they aren’t so great after all, and not even porridge has made it through the guidelines.
Ice cream
If crumpets and porridge weren't making it through then ice cream didn't stand a chance.
Don’t even think about getting around it via non-dairy ice cream either, as they’re also banned, but toppings are still allowed.
Cakes
Another obvious entry on the list, though according to the BBC, icing is exempt from the ban.
Similarly, cake decorations and toppings are also safe to show before 9pm, Metro says.
Confectionery
An incredibly obvious addition to this list, the government shared that anything you can see down the confectionary snack aisle is featured in the ban.
This includes sweets, popcorn and even protein bars or high protein snacks.
Biscuit and bars
Any chocolate or chocolate-coated bars are off limits to advertisers now before the kids’ bedtime.
This also extends to ice cream wafers, cereal bars, nut and seed bars, shortbread and coated chocolate biscuits.
If you thought rice or corn cakes were safe, guess again.
Savoury snacks
According to Metro, ‘all sizes, shapes and types of savoury snacks’ will be facing the ban - with crisps being the main offender here.
However, other items that come under the savoury category are crackers, rice cakes, tortilla chips, and Bombay spice mixes.
Desserts
Pies, tarts, flans, cheesecake, sponge puddings, rice pudding, crumbles, meringues, custards, trifles or Christmas puddings to you and me.
Though there are some that don't fall under the ban, namely tinned fruit, cream and syrups, so kids can still be told to buy those.
Potatoes
This isn't going to cover every type of potato advert and nobody's stopping the unprocessed veggie - plain or sweet - from being on our screens.
Instead, the smiley-faced potatoes, roast potatoes, hash browns, fries and croquettes will be shunted beyond the watershed.
Ready meals
This covers basically anything that can be cooked in a microwave, and it's where the stuffed pasta also gets caught in the ban.
It doesn’t matter what ready meal you consume either, it’s on the list, but so are sandwiches, wraps, bagels, and paninis, which are also considered junk food.
However, it also encompasses food that can be whacked in an oven too, like fish fingers, chicken kievs and chicken nuggets.
Yoghurt and fromage frais
If the yoghurt is one that has been sweetened, dairy or non-dairy, fruity or fromage frais, then it falls under the junk food category.
However, if the yoghurt is a natural product with no added sugar, then it's safe for TV advertising.
Pizza
That’s all pizza and all toppings which are not allowed under the ban - but garlic bread and plain pizza bases aren’t considered under this category.
Additional words by Britt Jones.
Topics: Food And Drink, Health, TV, UK News, Politics
Joe Harker