London’s Mayor Wants To Ban Junk Food Advertisements On Public Transportation. But Will It Help?

Small — but significant — initiatives are being proposed to mitigate our world’s obesity epidemic. While we’ve been tackling this issues for decades in the U.S., there is another fight going on overseas in London, UK. City Hall has recently spilled that the capitol  has one of the highest child overweight and obesity rates in Europe, stating that almost 40 percent of kids ages 10-11 are overweight. Compare that to 33% of 10-17 year-old kids in the U.S.’s capitol and it still doesn’t look good. So, what’s being done about it? Cue London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a hero without a cape.

Following the soft drink sugar tax, Mayor Sadiq Khan is tackling child obesity by proposing a ban on junk food advertisements on public transit, or “the tube” aka TfL (Transportation for London), in an effort to “reduce the influence and pressure that can be put on children and families to make unhealthy choices.” As part of his London Food Strategy, each business’ products will be assessed against the nutrient profiling model developed by the Food Standards Agency, urging companies to switch out the popular junk food items (high in fat, salt or sugar) for more healthy options. So this essentially isn’t forcing all companies to cease with promoting their product, just steering them in a direction that focuses on healthier options for the good of all London.

“I am determined to do all I can to tackle this issue with the powers I have and help Londoners make healthy food choices for themselves and their families,” Mr. Khan has stated.

So what could this mean for London? If we take down the advertisements that promote an unhealthy lifestyle, will that really result in an overall healthier lifestyle for its residents? Many believe this could genuinely be the start of something great for the city, and others are skeptical about its impact, expressing what little it will actually do in the long run. Opposing views currently make for a great ping pong match in the media. While the president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health co-signs with the fact that advertising is “one of the leading contributors for the growth of child obesity,” and Advertising Association spokesperson counters with informing us that the UK already bans advertising of high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) food or drink products in all media where under 16-year-olds make up more than 25% of the audience (however, they’ve only recommended the same for outdoor advertising).

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This particular issue can also be seen as geographical and/or due to economic status. The correlation between low-income homes and unhealthy food choices is not new, but newly voiced in the media. “We need to ensure those families have access to nutritional and healthy food but aren’t disproportionately exposed to adverts for unhealthy foods,” Mr Khan told BBC Radio London’s Vanessa Feltz, adding that there are some parts of London “where you simply haven’t got access to fresh fruit and veg.”

As the importance of speaking out on issues to affect not only communities, but metropolitan cities, states and nations increases, we hope to see a downward shift in child obesity, and an influx in more health conscious choices throughout the Greater London Area.