Haringey Council ban advertising on unhealthy foods

Haringey Council are taking a stand against obesity and have become one of the first in England to ban high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) products in the borough on council-owned channels.

Obesity has become a major issue across the country with it affecting around one in every four adults and around one in every five children aged 10 to 11.

It is a major issue in Haringey with over one in three Year 6 children in the area being overweight or obese, rising to almost two in three adults.

Haringey Council are taking strong measures to address this and will become one of the first London boroughs to enact a ban on advertising for HFSS products, following Transport for London’s (TfL) decision earlier this year to prohibit such adverts across its entire network.

The ban will apply to all Haringey Council-controlled advertising spaces and will affect any food and drink products which are HFSS according to Public Health England’s Nutrient Profiling Model – the same standard used by TfL.

This will be enforced in July 2019 and any future contracts will have to adhere to this policy.

Haringey hopes that other London Boroughs will follow its lead, resulting in a stand across the capital against unhealthy food adverts.

Haringey’s stance is backed by both NHS England and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, as well as receiving the support of 82% of respondents in a TfL London-wide consultation.

The ban further strengthens Haringey’s stringent advertising rules, which already disallowed promotions for products that pose health risks.

Cllr Elin Weston, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Families, said:

“Children in Haringey should enjoy a happy and healthy childhood and tackling unhealthy weight is an essential part of this. I am pleased that Haringey is taking the lead in standing against advertising harmful and unhealthy foods which target our children, including tackling ‘unproven health and weight loss products’ which is particularly important for supporting the health and wellbeing of girls and young women.”

Cllr Sarah James, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, said:

“Obesity leads to significantly worse health outcomes and puts immense pressure on local health services. I am proud that Haringey is one of the first London boroughs to fight back by taking a firm stance against the marketing of unhealthy foods.”