UK Wants Partial Smoking Ban, Limit on Junk Food Ads

Britain will announce plans on Tuesday for a ban on smoking in many public places and a crackdown on television advertising of “junk food” aimed at children.

Health Secretary John Reid will detail for parliament the policy paper on public health, taking aim at obesity, sexually transmitted infections and unhealthy workplaces as well as tobacco. Last week, the Scottish parliament decided to ban smoking in public buildings from 2006. It is expected to be implemented in bars, restaurants and other enclosed public spaces. For England and Wales, Reid wants a ban covering all places that serve prepared food, including many pubs, the BBC reported, but stopped short of a total ban on smoking in public places. Tobacco and alcohol companies, including pub management firms, fear the proposals will cost them trade. Food companies and supermarkets have equal reason to be interested. Officials said the government wants to stop any adverts pushing unhealthy foods appearing on television before 9 p.m. And supermarkets and food manufacturers will be encouraged to adopt voluntarily a clearer labeling system for their goods. SMOKING CAUTION The government, conscious of accusations it is running a “nanny state” dictating how people live their lives, has shied from a complete ban. “What most people have told us is they do not want to take away the right of people to do that which remains legal but they do not want people to have the right to damage other people’s health or to inconvenience others,” Reid said Sunday. Reid, a former heavy smoker, is thought to have accepted a ban in workplaces and restaurants but will leave some leeway for bars, allowing them to apply for licenses to permit smoking to continue as long as their eating areas are smoke-free. Eight months ago, Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in restaurants and pubs. Since then others, including Norway and Malta, have imposed similar bans and even heavy-smoking Russians face a clampdown on puffing in public. A report last week found that despite efforts to get people to kick the habit, about 28 percent of men in England and 26 percent of women smoke. The Health Development Agency estimated smoking still kills about 106,000 people each year in Britain.(Source: Reuters, Nov 2004)