End of Advertising Targeted at Children. Unhealthy Foods in Norway's Crosshairs

Redakcja

25.10.2025 10:58

Copy link

End of Advertising Targeted at Children. Unhealthy Foods in Norway's Crosshairs

These are further regulations affecting the relationship between children, media, and marketing tools. Fot. Adobe Stock, licencja standardowa (zdjęcie poglądowe)

Starting Saturday, Norway has banned advertising unhealthy foods and drinks to children and adolescents. The new regulations cover, among others, sweets, soft drinks, ice cream, and energy drinks. The changes were introduced by a group led by Health Minister Jan Christian Vestre to improve public health among the youngest.

The new law provides exceptions—advertising unhealthy products in the form of sponsorship of sports or cultural events is still permitted. The regulations were adopted on April 25, 2025, followed by a six-month transition period. Penalties for violations will take effect from January 2027. The ban applies only to advertising activities and does not restrict the sale of products or food choices.

Reckless like a young Norwegian? Condoms by the fjords 'aren't sexy and ruin the mood'

Advertising Ban in Norway. Here’s the List of Products

The regulations distinguish two main categories of products covered by the ban. The first includes clearly unhealthy products such as sweets, ice cream, soft drinks, and energy drinks. The second group consists of products that exceed certain thresholds for sugar, fat, or fiber content, e.g., some breakfast cereals and yogurts.

The Health Directorate will oversee compliance with the regulations, allowing businesses to correct any mistakes before penalties are imposed.

The focus is primarily on processed products with high sugar or fat content.Photo: wikimedia.org/ photo: Wolfmann/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

The aim of the new law is to limit the impact of advertising on the dietary choices of children and adolescents. Minister Jan Christian Vestre emphasized that the changes are intended to help the youngest make healthier choices every day. The food industry as well as sports and cultural organizations submitted their comments during consultations, which involved 25 organizations and companies. The implementation of the regulations will continue to be monitored by authorities and industry representatives.