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AA Comment on Junk Food Ad Ban Research

/ February 18th 2022
Advertising and the UK Economy Industry News Public Health

In light of new research regarding the HFSS advertising ban on the Transport for London (TfL) network, the Advertising Association has issued the following comment.

Stephen Woodford, CEO, Advertising Association, commented: 

“The UK’s obesity challenge is a complex and multi-faceted one and needs solutions that are targeted and effective. Blanket bans on advertising even by the Government’s own estimates have marginal impacts on food preferences and calorie reduction, so there will be many reasons for the changes in purchasing habits seen in the London area. Whether they can all be ascribed to the TfL “junk food” ban, when TfL’s own advertising sites are only a part of a Londoner’s overall media consumption needs further examination, as the claimed impacts strike us as optimistic compared with those seen in other studies, here in the UK and around the world.”