Time to kick junk food advertising out of Cambridgeshire by Lianna Etkind
Here at Cambridge Sustainable Food we believe that junk food advertising should be banned. We are pleased to see that local resident Lianna is taking this to task. There is a widow of opportunity to join her in calling for junk food advertising to be added to the contract review of the County Council Ethical Advertising contract. You can find out how to get involved below, thank you to Lianna for asking the questions and for writing our guest blog.
Introduction
Here in Cambridge, there are a LOT of bus stop adverts for junk food. It seems every other bus stop in the city features a four foot high burger advert. Of course, some of the biggest users of buses are schoolchildren. The UK has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe, and it's the NHS which has to pick up the pieces when heart conditions, diabetes etc. results.
The good news is that there may be a window of opportunity to change this.
Ethical advertising policies
In the last few years, a growing tide of councils have set ethical advertising policies which restrict the advertising of junk food, among other ethically dubious products. Transport for London (under control of the Mayor of London) has banned junk food ads on its transport, and several London councils have followed suit since then.
In Norwich, the Labour-run council unanimously voted in June 2021 to limit harmful categories of advertising and sponsorship such as gambling, junk food and environmentally-damaging products, through developing an ethical advertising policy. The Mayor of London took the decision to ban junk food ads across all Transport for London networks in 2018; and since then, councils including Haringey, Southwark, Lewisham, Bristol and Norwich have all implemented limits on the advertising of unhealthy foods in their area. Some of these have gone further, and limited advertising for gambling, payday loan companies and environmentally-damaging products such as SUVs and fossil fuel companies.
A Cambridgeshire precedent
Back in July, I did something I've never done before: I asked a Public Question at Cambridge City Council. I urged councillors to consider developing “an ethical advertising policy which avoids products that are potentially harmful to our communities”, including junk food advertising.
One month later, I was delighted to receive a response which was positive on two counts. Firstly, the advertising contract (controlled by the county council) already includes an ethical policy: the council does not permit political, religious, tobacco or car advertising at their bus shelters – so already a precedent for limiting advertising on the basis of the public good!
Secondly, the response stated that the contract is currently being reviewed and renegotiated, and the council “would be happy to consider an ethical advertising policy”.
Take action for a healthier county
Cambridgeshire County Council is responsible for promoting and protecting the health and wellbeing of people in Cambridgeshire. Across the county, wonderful nurses, GPs and council officers are working hard to encourage us to make healthy choices. It's great to see the resources that are going in to promote healthy eating – but the council's messaging and investment in this is undermined by adverts for junk food.
If you too would like to see Cambridgeshire council develop an ethical advertising policy to limit junk food advertising, please consider writing to your county councillor (you can find out their email address at www.writetothem.com). You may wish to share with them this motion, drafted by Norwich Council, as a potential template.
Childhood obesity puts huge strain on our health services and leads to tooth decay, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Research shows that the pressure of advertising influences the food choices we make. It's time for Cambridgeshire to end junk food advertising.
Lianna Etkind is a Cambridge resident. She enjoys campaigning, wild swimming and cherries.