Cheshire West and Chester Council introduces a healthier food advertising policy

Cheshire West and Chester Council signed off on a robust policy to restrict unhealthy food and drinks adverts in their local area. The measures have been introduced to improve public health.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is the eighteenth Council to bring in a Healthier Food Advertising Policy, after the Mayor of London, with support from Sustain, first brought in the policy across the Transport for London network in 2019. Cheshire West is the third Council in the North West of England to do so after Knowsley and Sefton Councils successfully signed off on policies earlier this year.

Fran Bernhardt, Sustain's Commercial Determinants Coordinator said:

'We’re delighted to have worked with Cheshire West and Chester Council to prioritise children’s health by switching the spotlight away from unhealthy foods and drinks.

There are now 18 English Councils plus the Transport for London network which have introduced these robust policies designed by Sustain. This growing movement sends a message to the national Government to deliver on their pledges to restrict advertising on TV and online, and further focus on outdoor and radio to set the stage for healthier food across our communities.

This policy is a bold step in the right direction: prioritising not just health but equality and sustainability too. Evidence shows that putting the spotlight on unhealthy food increases the risk of food related ill health like diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay. Companies target low-income areas, resulting in people living there being more likely to experience poor health. Additionally, many of the restricted products are unsustainable containing climate damaging ingredients, such as sugar, cocoa and palm oil, as well as requiring lots of energy to process them.

We hope the terrific news from Cheshire West and Chester will inspire even more Councils to take this important step for their residents’ health.'

Cllr Lisa Denson, Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Cabinet Member for a Fairer Future (Poverty, Public Health and Mental Health) said:

'We are particularly concerned about the recent increase in childhood overweight and obesity and the impact that advertising for this type of food and drink has on children.

This policy is a really important step and demonstrates the Council's commitment to this agenda and to reducing health inequalities.'

Professor Helen Bromley, Director of Public Health at the Council said:

'In Cheshire West and Chester, we are working on various ways to support residents to eat well and be active and this policy is just one example of this.

We recognise how important it is that our residents have access to affordable, healthy and sustainable food and the opportunity to be active in ways in which they enjoy, helping them live healthier lives.'

Background

Evidence from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s evaluation of the Transport for London policy has shown that the restrictions led to a 20% reduction in sugary products, and a 1000 calorie decrease per week per household from unhealthy foods and drinks. Further modelling research from the University of Sheffield has estimated that across London, the restriction may lead to 95,000 fewer cases of obesity, 3000 fewer cases of diabetes and 2000 fewer cases of heart disease and could save the NHS £218 million over the lifetime of the current population.

Transport for London also announced that its advertising revenues have been unaffected by the restrictions since implementation in 2019. In the first year of the policy, revenues went up by £2.3 million, and in the second year (2020-21), despite financial losses due to Covid lockdowns at the time, the restrictions enabled the advertising figures to be maintained.

While local authorities are taking action, national government has stalled on anti-obesity measures. In 2020, the Government announced plans to restrict unhealthy food adverts, including a total online and 9pm TV watershed as a key part of the government's obesity strategy. These were due to be implemented in January 2023. However, in December 2022 the national Government delayed these to October 2025 - a delay that pushes them back three years after the date they originally committed to. This comes after the Obesity Health Alliance’s research found that 8 out of 10 adults support the Government restricting unhealthy food advertising to children on TV (79%) and online (81%).

If your local authority is interested in introducing a healthier food advertising policy, check out Sustain's toolkit for local authorities.