Reading Council Limits Unhealthy Food Advertising

The advertising of ‘unhealthy’ food will be clamped down upon in Reading going forward.

The advertising of ‘unhealthy’ food will face stricter regulations in Reading.

Reading Borough Council owns advertising space that reaches 200,000 drivers and 40,000 pedestrians daily. In a significant move, councillors have decided to alter their advertising policy to limit exposure to unhealthy food promotions.

At a recent policy committee meeting, Rachel Eden (Labour, Whitley), the lead councillor for public health, expressed the need for healthier food promotions, stating: “We want to encourage everyone, young and old, to have a healthy approach to food. Advertising limits our freedom of choice about what we eat by bombarding us with these ideas.”

She quipped: “We need reminders about salads or hearty vegetable stews instead of yummy sweets.”

The updated policy will reshape advertising visuals. For instance, coffee will be highlighted instead of chocolate drinks, and fruit will take the place of snacks in promotional deals. While burger adverts will remain similar, the focus will shift to the accompanying sauces, rather than the meat and cheese.

Cllr Eden affirmed the public health team's commitment, saying, “The data shows this will significantly improve our population's health, saving lives and enhancing our quality of life.”

While no specific brands were named in the report, it noted the presence of 14 McDonald’s ads spotted in 2022. A McDonald's spokesperson previously mentioned their long-standing provision of nutritional information and their partnership with Public Health England to create lower-calorie meal bundles.

However, Cllr Kate Nikulina (Green, Katesgrove) raised concerns about the absence of restrictions on high-carbon products in the update, stating her disappointment in not addressing advertising for items contributing to climate change. Cllr John Ennis (Labour, Southcote) promised her points would be considered.

The new advertising policies were unanimously approved at the policy committee meeting on 20th October.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter