Junk food ads banned from Sheffield City Council-owned billboards

Ads for junk food and other "harmful" products will be banned from authority-owned billboards, Sheffield City Council says

Billboard adverts for junk food, gambling, vaping and airlines are to be banned from many places in Sheffield.

The ban, agreed by Sheffield City Council's finance committee, will include all authority-owned hoardings.

It will also apply to the council's online media and sponsorship opportunities, it said.

Greg Fell, Sheffield's public health director, said the move would "set a tone", adding that it would "gently encourage others to follow".

The new policy was agreed at a meeting of the committee on Monday, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The types of advertisements to be banned on authority-owned hoardings would include those for short-term loans, low or zero alcohol drinks from alcoholic brands, fossil fuel products, some breast or infant milk formulas, petrol, diesel and hybrid plug-in vehicles.

Advertisements for gambling and betting products, airlines and airports, food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar, and food-ordering services would also not be allowed, among several other types, the council said.

Meanwhile, advertising of e-cigarettes and vaping products would only be allowed as part of some stop-smoking campaigns, it added.

All advertising hoardings owned by Sheffield City Council will be covered by the new ban, the authority says

The policy could, however, be eased to help local small and medium-sized businesses, the council said.

Discussions could also take place regarding the advertising of third-party events such as World Snooker at The Crucible, or events at City Hall and Sheffield Arena involving leisure operators.

Nicola Allen, the authority's advertising and sponsorship officer, said the main aim was to "influence operators to bring their policy as close as possible to the council's".

Mr Fell said that while a single ad campaign or policy could not "make or break an obesity epidemic or a gambling harm epidemic", it could "set a tone".

He added that when Transport for London banned junk food ads, the "massive loss of income" predicted by some never happened - and "actually the opposite was the case".

The council added that there was also little evidence from other local authorities with similar bans to suggest that revenue dropped, because brands switched to other advert spaces not under council control.

Pressure group AdFreeCities said that in Sheffield, 60% of advertisements were found in the poorest areas of the city, while just 2% of adverts were found in the most affluent locations.

Sheffield Green Party councillor Toby Mallinson said news of the ban was "fantastic".

"The ethical side of it, the categories being covered are very good," he said.

The ban is expected to come into force next month.