Wirral Council is the latest local authority to sign up to the Healthier Food Advertising Policy, taking action to reduce advertising for food and drink products that are high in fat, sugar and/or salt.
The new policy will further restrict advertising content which features high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products, whether directly or indirectly, in pictures or in text on council-owned advertising spaces. In introducing this new policy, the authority joins seven in Cheshire and Merseyside and 22 other local authorities in England doing the same.
Rebecca Mellor, Principal Public Health Officer at Wirral Council, said:
“Research shows exposure to advertising for food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar encourages a strong preference for these products and leads to less healthier choices in our diet.
“We want to help to reduce the impact of unhealthy food and advertising in our communities, which is we are in full support of this policy.
“It’s really unfair and unethical for companies to be restricting our choices in food and to be increasing exposure to health harming products. So as a local authority, we can do something about this and we can put the spotlight back on health promoting products.”
In 2022/23, data from the Active Lives Adult Survey show 76.3% of Wirral’s adult population were overweight or obese. Part of the All Together Fairer programme’s recommendations is to see these figures start to decrease by creating and developing healthy and sustainable places and communities.
The policy allows region-wide actions to create health promoting environments across Cheshire and Merseyside, leaving the responsibility with the food companies to make sure they’re fully compliant through the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM).
The NPM is an industry-standard and makes it easier for advertising companies to understand what is acceptable. It ensures companies prioritise switching the spotlight from advertising unhealthy foods and drinks to healthier options.
Speaking in a Wirral View online publication, Dave Bradburn, Wirral’s Director of Public Health and the Champs Collaborative’s lead on Child and Family Poverty, said:
“Advertising of ‘junk food’ is largely concentrated in the more deprived areas of our borough, which is not fair.
“Restricting the advertising of these products on our channels and requiring advertisers and brands to promote healthier food is not a fix-all, but it will play a part. We’ll be utilising our assets to help make Wirral a healthier place.”
To read the full policy, visit: Healthier food advertising policy | wirral.gov.uk.
For more information on weight and obesity in Wirral, visit: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/obesity.
