Swindon Borough Council to ban adverts for unhealthy food and drink on its properties
Adverts for sugary drinks, burgers and crisps will not be displayed on bus shelters
Last updated 14th Jun 2024
Adverts for sugary drinks, burgers and crisps will not be displayed on sites owned by Swindon Borough Council, most notably bus shelters, across the borough.
The authority’s Labour cabinet has approved a report on a healthier advertising policy on its assets.
The report was brought by the member for communities and joint working Councillor Jim Grant. He said: “The idea is to restrict adverts for foods high in fats, salt or sugar.
“These are often targeted at young people in areas of deprivation who often experience health inequalities themselves.”
The report presented by Cllr Grant said the council has a ‘whole systems’ approach to public health, and especially obesity- meaning it uses all the ways at its disposal to try and encourage and help residents to live more healthily.
It said the are five main actions the council can take: “Improving the food environment; improving the physical activity environment and promoting physical activity; improving identification and management of obesity to support people achieve a healthy weight; increasing positive community influences; enabling settings, schools and services to contribute to children and young people achieving a healthy weight.
“Tackling unhealthy advertising is one of these actions, given the evidence that exposure to unhealthy food advertising increases food intake in children and is associated with obesity.”
The plan said no brand will be banned, and that “any food and drink company can advertise. They simply need to advertise a non-high fats, salt or sugar product.”
The judgment on whether a specific product falls foul of the policy will be made using the UK nutrient profile model.
The policy added: “Promotion or availability of foods and drinks that are HFSS is not permitted for advertising and/or sponsorship, without exceptions. This includes advertisements where there is a range of food/drink featured, some of which is HFSS.
“Brand only advertising – Some brands have strong associations with unhealthy products. Because of this, advertising for food and drink brands is also restricted. All adverts for a food and drink brand must include prominent promotion of a non-HFSS product.”
Cllr Grant said if the policy was adopted then Swindon would be following Bristol as only the second local authority in the South West to adopt it, and would be the 13th across the whole country.
The policy was approved unanimously and Cllr Grant said it would come into effect when the contract for bus shelter adverts was renewed later this year.