Welsh council bans junk food advertising
Welsh council bans junk food advertising
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The Vale of Glamorgan Council has approved a ban on advertising for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) across its public assets, including bus stops, roadside billboards and the Council’s website.
Council leader Cllr Lis Burnett said the move supports Vale 2030, the authority’s five-year plan to build “Strong Communities with a Bright Future.”
She said: “Vale 2030, our new five-year Plan, sets out this Council’s ongoing drive to create Strong Communities with a Bright Future. As well as increasing economic, education and other opportunities, that pledge is about taking steps to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents and encouraging more active lifestyles,” she said.
Burnett added: “There is clear evidence that such advertising contributes to people purchasing and eating unhealthy foods and drinks, particularly children, and that this in turn leads to higher rates of obesity and other diet-related diseases. Research has also shown that those living in areas of deprivation are the worst affected as advertising is often specifically targeted at people living in those areas.”
She said the changes also align with the Council’s Project Zero commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2030: “I’m proud that the Vale is blazing a trail for Wales in this area. We want to set a standard for others to follow across Wales and the wider UK.”
The plans follow joint work with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff Council and the regional Amplifying Prevention Partnership. They also build on the Move More Eat Well Plan and the Good Food and Movement Framework.
Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, welcomed the move. He said: “Two thirds of adults in Wales are overweight or obese. I have called for the public sector to use every lever possible to improve our food system. Congratulations to the Vale of Glamorgan Council for demanding better for our health,” he said.
Claire Beynon, Executive Director of Public Health for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, added: “We are absolutely delighted that the Vale of Glamorgan Council is planning to restrict advertising across their assets of foods and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt.
“We know that what surrounds us shapes us. Shifting the food environment by changing the advertising landscape will help to support and enable opportunities for good food and is a significant contribution to our local work through our Good Food and Movement Framework 2024-2030.”
The Vale has become one of the first Welsh authorities to restrict HFSS advertising, echoing similar policies already in place in London.
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