A report published by the advocacy alliance Sustain, and carried out by researchers at the University of Portsmouth, suggests that councils implementing healthier food advertising policies do not suffer a loss in advertising revenue. The analysis, which compared revenue changes between 2019 and 2023 in councils with and without such policies, found no significant difference. Out of 360 responses to freedom of information requests, data from 38 councils allowed for comparison, with three having introduced healthier food advertising policies during the period.
The findings challenge concerns that restricting harmful products could lead to empty advertising spaces. Instead, the report highlights that these spaces can be filled with socially beneficial campaigns, such as those promoting healthy products. Companies affected by the rules can also switch to promoting compliant products. This approach has been linked to reduced pressure on public services; for instance, Transport for London's restrictions on advertising foods high in fat, salt, and sugar are associated with households purchasing fewer unhealthy calories weekly, potentially saving the NHS and social care system an estimated £218 million over the lifetime of the current population.
This principle is now extending beyond junk food. Public bodies are increasingly applying restrictions to fossil fuels and other high-carbon products, recognising that publicly controlled advertising space should not promote consumption that undermines public health or environmental goals. Over a dozen UK councils, including Sheffield and Edinburgh, have adopted measures against high-carbon advertising, covering products like fossil fuels, flights, and non-electric cars.
Bristol City Council recently became the first UK council to restrict advertising for ultra-fast fashion, fossil fuels, SUVs, airlines, and cruises on council-owned sites. This move brings industries associated with high production, consumption, and waste into the scope of environmental advertising policies. In another UK first, Portsmouth City Council included single-use plastics in its list of restricted products, alongside fossil fuels, non-electric cars, and unhealthy food, acknowledging the environmental costs of disposable plastic packaging.
These decisions indicate a shift in thinking, with UK councils increasingly recognising a wider range of environmental harms associated with advertised products. Developments internationally, such as Amsterdam becoming the first capital city to introduce legally binding restrictions on public advertising for fossil-fuel products, meat, flights, cruises, and petrol and diesel cars, suggest this approach could expand further. The research from the University of Portsmouth weakens the argument that losing advertising income necessitates caution, suggesting councils can afford to be bolder in setting advertising boundaries.
