25 Sep 2024 Metro Mayors commit to taking less healthy food out of the spotlight on some buses and trains: Food Active response
Today nine metro mayors across England have announced they are committed to introducing a ban on the advertising of less healthy food and drink on some transport networks.
The move is in support of Jamie Oliver’s #AdEnough campaign, which calls on system leaders to banning less healthy food and drink advertisements across the areas they control and protect the health and well-being of their communities.
The mayors who have pledged their support represent the North East, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and the West Midlands.
This approach is part of a growing movement to take less healthy food out of the spotlight of advertising estates, spearheaded by the Transport for London ban in 2019 and since 18 local authorities have implemented a healthier advertising policy in England, with support from the food and farming charity, Sustain.
A growing number of studies are indicating such policies can have positive impacts; one suggesting the policy has helped to make Londoners’ shopping baskets healthier[1]; another indicating the policy could help to reduce the number of cases of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases[2]; and finally, the policy not having a negative impact on revenue from advertising[3].
Food Active’s Policy and Advocacy Manager Beth Bradshaw responds:
It is very promising to see this commitment from nine metro mayors, including both in the North West, to take less healthy food adverts out of the spotlight on advertising estate they own, including some buses and train networks.
This is a timely announcement after the government committed to press ahead with similar restrictions on TV and online media nation-wide. The message is clear – children should not be subjected to advertisements for less healthy products. We look forward to finding out more details and the next steps in due course.
To find out more, follow this link for the full press release.
[1] au A, Berger N, Law C, Cornelsen L, Greener R, et al. (2022) Changes in household food and drink purchases following restrictions on the advertisement of high fat, salt, and sugar products across the Transport for London network: A controlled interrupted time series analysis. PLOS Medicine 19(2): e1003915. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003915
[2] Thomas, C., Breeze, P., Cummins, S. et al. The health, cost and equity impacts of restrictions on the advertisement of high fat, salt and sugar products across the transport for London network: a health economic modelling study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 19, 93 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01331-y
[3] Sustain (2021) Transport for London declares junk food ad ban a success as revenues announced [online] Available at: https://www.sustainweb.org/news/jul21-tfl-advertising-restrictions-success/
