TfL junk food ad ban has helped Londoners shop more healthily – study
A ban on junk food advertising by Transport for London has contributed to a 1,000 calorie decrease in unhealthy purchases in people’s weekly shopping, a study has estimated.
The biggest effects were seen for chocolate and confectionery with an almost 20% decrease, or 317.9 calories, in average weekly household purchases of energy from these products.
The decrease works out to be about 385 calories a person a week, equivalent to every Londoner in the study buying about 1.5 fewer standard-size bars of milk chocolate each week.
Researchers led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) compared almost two million weekly grocery purchases of products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) by households in London and the north of England between June 2018 and December 2019.
Researchers found the policy was associated with an estimated 1,001 calorie (6.7%) decrease in average weekly household purchases of energy from HFSS products compared with what would have happened without the policy.
Dr Amy Yau, from LSHTM and the study’s lead author, said: “Many governments and local authorities are considering advertising restrictions to reduce consumption of HFSS products as part of obesity prevention strategies.
“However, evidence of the effectiveness of such policies, especially away from broadcast media, is scarce.
“Our study helps to plug that knowledge gap, showing TfL’s policy is a potential destination for decision-makers aiming to reduce diet-related disease more widely.”
The team also found some limited indications that the effect of the ban was larger in households with individuals living with obesity.
TfL’s ban on advertising HFSS products, which began in 2019, encompasses the underground, overground, buses, Docklands
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