THERE are no plans to follow the UK’s lead in introducing a ban on advertising junk food in Jersey, a senior health official has said.
Director of public health Peter Bradley said his department was “interested in the impact that the UK ban on junk food advertising may have, particularly given the “reach of various media channels into Jersey”.
“There is good evidence that advertising influences children’s consumption of products high in sugar, salt and fat, so we will watch with interest to see if this ban leads to changes locally,” he said.
He said that although there are no plans to introduce a similar ban in Jersey, improving nutrition was “a key priority”, he said – with plans in the pipeline to help customers make better choices in shops.
Professor Bradley added: “While we do not currently have plans to introduce a similar approach in Jersey, we recognise this as an area of importance and will continue to monitor developments closely.
“Our Health Improvement team are currently working with stakeholders on proposals to make healthier choices easier for customers in retail settings.
“Working across the systems is central to our Food and Nutrition Framework, and we are encouraged by the engagement that we have received for this programme and others such as the successful lunchbox heroes scheme, run in partnership with the Coop.”
Reflecting on the law – which bans adverts for less healthy foods on TV before 9pm and online at all times – health campaigner Sarah Le Brocq said: “People get quite excited and think it’s going to change everything – it’s not going to change everything.”
Ms Le Brocq, who is from Jersey and currently runs All About Obesity in the UK, said the law would help combat an “obesogenic” environment.
Those with a genetic predisposition for obesity – an MC4 receptor – find unhealthy food harder to resist and they crave more foods with fast fats and a lot of carbohydrates, Ms Le Brocq explained.
She said that colourful advertising for delivery services serving mostly high-fat, high-carb foods were “unhelpful” adding that constant advertising also makes it look like junk food is a “normal” diet.
“If you can start seeing healthy food being advertised – and we know that the investment doesn’t go into that – that normalises healthy eating,” she said.
It would be helpful, for example, for delivery apps to offer “healthy, nutritious options”, like juices.
She added that she would like to see better education on healthy foods, for example in schools, so that young people understand how good nutrition helps them.
“It’s a reframe of how we talk about this, explaining why we should be doing something – not patronising, but explaining what we need for activities.”
This is a particular problem with people eating less because of weight-loss drugs, but not eating nutritious foods, she said.
Jersey’s childhood obesity rates are higher than in the UK, with 28% of reception children classified as overweight or obese in 2025.
Other legislation, like the sugar tax, had already made a change in people’s habits, she said.
Ms Le Brocq said that she hoped to help Jersey create a weight management service – which exists in the UK but not in the Island.
These don’t just supply weight-loss drugs, but help with “wrap-around care” – ranging from nutritional support to movement, lifestyle psychological support.
Currently, Islanders can only access weight-loss drugs by paying privately, she said, adding that this created a “two-tier system”.
