Introduction
An investigation by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has revealed that over 90 sponsorship deals currently link junk food brands with top UK sports. This comes amid increasing concerns about the impact of these partnerships on public health, especially as new advertising restrictions on high fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) products are set to be implemented.
Major Brands and Their Sports Partnerships
Prominent brands such as Cadbury, Pepsi, KP Snacks, Walkers, Kellogg’s, Red Bull, and Monster have established ongoing partnerships with leading sports figures, teams, and governing bodies. Notable athletes involved in these deals include football stars Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Leah Williamson, and Lauren James, England cricket captain Ben Stokes, cyclist Tom Pidcock, and Formula 1 driver Lando Norris.
Impact of Sponsorship During Major Events
The findings coincide with the women’s Euro 2025 football tournament in Switzerland, which is expected to attract an audience of 500 million people globally. Official sponsors for the event include Just Eat Takeaway, Hellmann’s mayonnaise, and PepsiCo. These brands will be prominently displayed on LED boards beside pitches and on interview backdrops during press conferences.
Growing Concerns Over Advertising Pervasiveness
While the food industry has a long-standing history of sponsoring sports, experts note that advertising has become more “pervasive” and “prominent” than ever. This is largely due to extensive digital marketing campaigns leading up to events and the ability of brands to target fans through sports stars’ social media platforms.
Beth Bradshaw, policy and advocacy manager at Food Active, part of the Health Equalities Group, emphasizes the importance of this issue, particularly because children idolize these sports personalities. “It’s so important because it’s kids. Some of these sports personalities, these football stars, these rugby stars…They are kids’ idols,” she states.
Legislative Delays and Industry Lobbying
In January 2026, the UK government plans to introduce legislation banning adverts for HFSS products before the 9pm TV watershed. However, this regulation has faced repeated delays due to lobbying by the food industry.
Labor MP and GP Simon Opher describes the BMJ’s findings as “genuine sportswashing.” He has raised a parliamentary question to the health secretary regarding potential legislative proposals to ban sponsorship of sports events by unhealthy food brands. The government, however, has stated that it currently has “no plans” to ban such sponsorships or the advertising of less healthy food or drink products at sports events.
Potential Impact on Children’s Health
The BMJ investigation highlights how sports sponsorship deals can circumvent new regulations, allowing unhealthy products to appear on daytime TV. Examples include Hula Hoops on England cricket shirts, Red Bull logos beside football pitches, and Kit Kat branding alongside Formula 1 race tracks.
Experts argue that sports sponsorship provides junk food firms with a ‘health halo effect,’ making their products seem more acceptable and less harmful to consumers. Research supports this, showing that it improves children’s opinions of unhealthy brands. “These players are in absolute peak physical condition, and they are unfortunately promoting products that just do not generally feature in athletes’ diets,” says Bradshaw.
Calls for Ethical Sponsorship Practices
Some public health experts are advocating for a ban on junk food sponsorship in sports due to the exposure it provides to brands and the potential impact on children’s health. Robin Ireland from Glasgow University’s school of health and well-being argues, “We need to have some morals and ethics about the types of products we associate with sport. We should not be allowing food brands to be using sport to promote consumption of their unhealthy products to young people. It simply should be banned.”
Conclusion
The ongoing debate over junk food sponsorship in sports highlights the tension between commercial interests and public health. As the UK government continues to review the evidence of the impacts of less healthy food or drink product advertising on children, the call for more stringent regulations and ethical sponsorship practices grows louder.
🔗 **Fuente:** https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-junk-food-advertising-uk-sports.html