South Australia Bans Junk Food Ads on Public Transport

Rising rates of obesity are a major public health risk, according to the government and the Cancer Council.

A selection of confectionary and chocolates are seen on a newsagent shelf. Leon Neal/Getty Images

South Australia (SA) will become the first state to ban advertising for fast food products on its public transport network when a ban comes into force on July 1 this year. It will apply to products including chocolate, lollies, confectionery, desserts, ice creams, soft drinks, and chips.

Until the move, advertising of such items was governed only by a voluntary code and industry self-regulation. However, research suggests that it isn’t effective in limiting children’s exposure, mostly on their way to and from school.

The Cancer Council says about 80 percent of food advertising on public transport and near schools in New South Wales and South Australia were for junk food items, while in Victoria, 90 percent of ads within 500 metres of schools promoted unhealthy products.

In Perth, children who catch the train are exposed to 37 such ads on their way to school, or 22 per trip if they catch the bus, according to research by the Telethon Kids Institute.

The SA government said overweight and obesity accounted for 8.3 percent of the total disease burden (the impact of living with illness and injury and dying prematurely) in Australia last year. Around 63.1 percent of adults and 35.2 percent of children across the state fall into one of those two categories.

Modelling indicated that if no action was taken, the number of South Australians affected would grow by an additional 1,900 children and 48,000 adults over the next five years.

Recent research by Preventive Health SA also showed that unless measures were implemented to combat the problem, children born in 2023 could see as much as a seven-month reduction in life expectancy because of obesity.

Food and drink marketing can affect a child’s nutrition knowledge, food preferences and consumption patterns, the government said.

“Food habits and relationships established early in life have a lasting impact on food habits and health outcomes of adults,” said Minister for Health and Wellbeing Chris Picton.

“Each year, big brands spend millions of dollars on catchy slogans and appealing ads to encourage South Australian children to consume more highly processed foods containing high fat, high salt and high sugar.

“Banning these ads in some of the key places they are seen regularly—especially by children—is a sensible step towards a healthier South Australia.”

He said that relying on parents to limit their children’s consumption of unhealthy food was ineffective because of the “pester power children use to persuade [them]. ”

The new law was introduced after public consultation, which included feedback from the food, beverage, and advertising sectors.

It follows the implementation of similar policies in London, Amsterdam, and the Australian Capital Territory.