Belgian food industry to implement stricter rules on junk food advertising

New rules banning the advertising of unhealthy food products to children under 16 will come into force on 1 January 2026.

The rules, drawn up by the main Belgian food and advertising industry federations themselves, will also apply to social media and in the vicinity of primary and secondary schools.

The self-regulated ban has been criticised by some NGOs, which believe it does not go far enough and that government intervention is needed to effectively restrict the marketing of food products considered harmful to health.

The industry federations behind the ban – the Belgian Food Industry Federation (Fevia), the Comeos trade federation, the Belgian Advertisers Association (UBA) and the Advertising Council – have called the new measure the Belgian Food Advertising Code.

They say it aims to better protect consumers under the age of 16 from the marketing of products considered unhealthy.

“This is a big step forward for the protection of young people and children,” said Fevia chief executive Bart Buysse, emphasising that the new code is “a flexible instrument that takes into account trends on social media and influencer marketing”.

The code replaces and extends the previous “Belgian Pledge”, notably by raising the age limit for the protection of young people from 13 to 16.

The code targets advertising for sweets, biscuits, non-alcoholic drinks, ice cream and chocolate, honey, jam and many breakfast cereals.

The criteria established in terms of salt, sugar and fat content differ according to food category, but they exclude almost all products that do not achieve a nutritional score of A, such as most ready meals as well as many varieties of yoghurt and spreads.

The agreements apply to food companies, supermarkets and fast food chains such as Pizza Hut, Burger King and McDonald's.

The ban already applied within a 150-metre radius of primary schools but, upon coming into effect, will also apply in the vicinity of secondary schools.

“Extending the ban to 16-year-olds sends a strong signal,” said Comeos chief executive Dominique Michel.

“We’re thus extending our reach from 1.1 million to 1.5 million young people. This is a big step forward, but we will continue to consult and assess whether we need to change gear again.”

According to figures from the Sciensano health institute, just under one in five children and young people - aged two to 17 - are overweight and almost 6% are obese.

The High Health Council (HHR) stated in 2022 that "self-regulation by the sector was failing to solve the problems". The new measure ignores their request to extend the ban to those up to 18 years old, along with a request for a ban on television advertisements for unhealthy foods between 6.00 and 23/00 and a ban on food packaging featuring cartoons or well-known characters.

NGO Fian Belgium considers the measures "insufficient" and is calling for government intervention to restrict the marketing of food products deemed harmful to health.

“Self-regulation is a major tool used by the food industry to prevent strong protective measures,” said Jonathan Peuch, advocacy officer at Fian Belgium.

“By imposing their own codes and seeking to dictate the rules of the game through self-regulatory standards, these companies are seeking to neutralise any political intervention that would protect the health of the population.”

Fian Belgium is therefore calling for stricter regulations, both in public spaces and in the media, to limit the promotion of ultra-processed foods that are too fatty, too salty or too sweet.

In particular, the NGO is asking regions and municipalities to regulate the location of advertising billboards for these products, citing the examples of London and Grenoble, both of which have adopted measures to this effect.