IAB UK responds to Government consultation on draft HFSS secondary legislation

Last December, the Government announced that the implementation of the online ad ban for certain products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) would be moved from 2023 to 2025. At the same time, it launched a consultation on secondary legislation relating to the specific details of the ban in four key areas: product categories, SMEs, regulated radio and online audio.  

We have submitted a response to the consultation - which closed on 31 March 2023 - focusing on online audio and the proposed audio-only exemption, as these are the areas that are most relevant to IAB members.  

In a nutshell our response supports an exemption from the ban for ads in and around audio content. We argue that this exemption should apply irrespective of the manner in which audio content is accessed, including via an app or website that has visual or audio-visual elements. You can download our response below.