Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of targeting food and drink advertising at children and young people on the level of childhood obesity.

Public Health England’s 2015 report ‘Sugar reduction: The evidence for action’ is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sugar-reduction-from-evidence-into-action

The report showed that all forms of advertising and marketing, including advertising on television, through social and other online media, increase the preference, choice, purchasing and consumption of high sugar foods and drinks by children. Consuming a diet high in sugar leads to weight gain and therefore contributes to childhood obesity.