Barnsley bans junk food ads! Yorkshire town follows London and Bristol in battle against obesity

Barnsley joined a series of obesity control tips by banning junk food advertisements in all public buildings.

South Yorkshire City Council said it would limit advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt to “protect” children and adults from images that could affect “what people eat and drink and how much”.

All municipal advertising sites and buildings such as museums, libraries and entertainment centers will be required to comply with the policy.

It will apply to products such as cakes, cookies and chips.

In Barnsley, a third of youth and two-thirds of adults are overweight, the equivalent of the UK as a whole.

The local government is the sixth country to ban unhealthy advertising, which activists say gets all the attention from junk food.

Experts have found that the same policies on London’s tube, train and bus networks are causing families in the capital to consume 1,000 fewer calories per week.

Julia Burrows, Barnsley’s director of public health, said the move would “make it easier to be healthy.”

HOW SHOULD A BALANCED NUTRITION BE?

According to the NHS, meals should be potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains.

• Eat at least 5 servings of different fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count

• Basic meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, preferably wholemeal

• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole grain biscuits, 2 thick slices of whole wheat bread, and a large baked potato in the crust

• Have some alternatives to milk or dairy products (such as soy drinks) and choose low-fat, low-sugar options

• Eat beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish per week, one of which is fat)

• Choose unsaturated fats and spreads and consume sparingly.

• Drink 6-8 glasses / glass of water a day

• Adults should have less than 6 g of salt per day and less than 20 g of saturated fat for women and less than 30 g for men.

Source: NHS Eatwell Guide

City leaders are now collaborating with companies to make sure they can “promote healthy food and drink.”

Barnsley’s rules apply to all advertising sites he owns, whether traditionally online or in person.

It also applies to ads that show a brand or directions for a store, app, or website that doesn’t directly contain junk food but sells unhealthy products.

Ms Burrows said: “We want everyone in Barnsley to have the best possible chance to enjoy life in good physical and mental health.

“This guide is just one part of what we do to make it easier to be healthy.”

“We partner with companies that already advertise with us and they will work with future companies to ensure they can advertise healthy food and drink with us.

“We hope this is the first step for other organizations in Barnsley to adopt a similar policy.”

The Council developed its advertising guidelines with food charity Sustain, which is working with 80 other UK local authorities to promote healthier advertising policies.

Similar approaches have been applied in five other boroughs: Greenwich, Haringey, Merton and Southwark in London, as well as in the city of Bristol.

And London Mayor Sadiq Khan banned junk food from the Transport for London network three years ago.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that the policy reduced household junk food calorie intake by 6.7 percent and chocolate and sweets intake by one-fifth.

Fran Bernhardt, Sustain’s Baby Food Campaign Coordinator, said: “We are delighted to partner with Barnsley Council to bring unhealthy food and drink to the fore.

“As the first northern city to adopt this policy, we hope their findings will inspire other parts of the country to advocate for child health.”

Sustain says all businesses can continue to advertise under the rules as long as they promote a healthier product.

This is because the government has introduced rules from October that ban foods high in fat, sugar or salt from checkouts and store entrances.

The Prime Minister has declared an obesity crackdown in 2020 after an almost deadly Covid attack attributed to being overweight.

As part of the plan, a rule went into effect in April requiring restaurants, bars and takeaways with more than 250 employees to list calories on their menus.

But Boris Johnson introduced separate rules that would ban BOGOF and other multi-buy junk food deals.

Despite plans to be demolished, refills of sugary sodas will be allowed for another year.