Sefton Council becomes the second council in the North West of England to shine a light on healthier and more sustainable food, as leaders sign off advertising policy to improve health, inequalities and climate change.
Sefton Council signed off on a robust policy to restrict unhealthy food and drinks adverts in their local area. The measures, developed in collaboration with Sustain, have been introduced to improve public health as well as tackling climate change and inequalities.
Sefton Council is the thirteenth local authority to bring in a Healthier Food Advertising Policy, after the Mayor of London, with support from Sustain, first brought in the policy across the Transport for London network in 2019. Sefton is the second local authority in the North West to do so after Knowsley successfully signed off on a policy earlier this year.
Fran Bernhardt, Sustain's Commercial Determinants Coordinator said:
Well done Sefton for switching the spotlight to healthier foods and drinks. Sefton Council have recognised the remarkable co-benefits of this policy to prioritise residents' health, champion equality and tackle climate change.
There are now thirteen English Councils, plus the Transport for London network, which hold these robust advertising policies designed by Sustain. Close to 150 more have approached us for support to bring in a Healthier Food Advertising Policy - which is almost 40% of the UK! So Sefton is part of a growing movement of Councils.
Evidence shows that putting the spotlight on unhealthy food makes people eat more of it, leading to worse health. We also know that companies target low income areas, resulting in those people being more likely to experience poor health. Additionally, many of the restricted products are unsustainable, containing climate damaging ingredients such as sugar, cocoa and palm oil, as well as requiring lots of energy to process them.
We hope the terrific news from Sefton will inspire even more Councils to take this important step for their residents’ health. We also call on the national government to support remaining Councils to implement these changes, as well as introducing a watershed on TV and online so we can take unhealthy food out of the spotlight.
Margaret Jones Sefton’s Director of Public Health said:
When it comes to tackling childhood obesity, we need to pull all the levers possible, as it is clear that advertising plays a huge part in the choices we make. It is completely unacceptable that where you live and the amount you earn can have a massive impact on whether you have access to healthy, nutritious food.
Our council-owned advertising sites offer a key opportunity to promote good food and a healthy lifestyle to both children and their family members or carers.
We are committed to supporting work to encourage healthy eating as part of our wider drive to tackle obesity by reducing exposure to unhealthy food advertising - not just for children, but parents, families and carers who buy food and prepare meals.
Background
Evidence from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s evaluation of the Transport for London policy has shown that the restrictions led to a 20% reduction in sugary products, and a 1000 calorie decrease per week per household from unhealthy foods and drinks. Further modelling research from the University of Sheffield has estimated that across London, the restriction will lead to 95,000 fewer cases of obesity, 3000 fewer cases of diabetes and 2000 fewer cases of heart disease and save the NHS £218 million over the lifetime of the current population.
Transport for London also announced that its advertising revenues have been unaffected by the restrictions since implementation in 2019. In the first year of the policy, revenues went up by £2.3 million, and in the second year (2020-21), despite financial losses due to Covid lockdowns at the time, the restrictions enabled the advertising figures to be maintained.
While local authorities are taking action, national government has stalled on anti-obesity measures. In 2020, The Government announced plans to restrict unhealthy food adverts, including a total online and 9pm TV watershed as a key part of the government's obesity strategy. These were due to be implemented in January 2023. However, in December 2022 the national Government delayed these to October 2025 - a delay that pushes them back three years after the date they originally committed to. This comes after the Obesity Health Alliance’s research found that 8 out of 10 adults support the Government restricting unhealthy food advertising to children on TV (79%) and online (81%).
If your local authority is interested in introducing a healthier food advertising policy, check out Sustain's toolkit for local authorities.
Published Wednesday 17 April 2024
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
