The context
Childhood obesity is a major public health concern in London. For the city's mayor, it's a ticking time bomb. The CancerResearch UK report, published in 2018, highlighted the link between junk food consumption and the rise in cardiovascular disease. To combat this scourge, the city has taken several steps to raise awareness of the consequences of junk food.
The project
The Mayor of London has decided to take a number of measures to limit and reduce the number of overweight and obese children. These decisions were taken by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, as part of a new urban planning project called the London Plan. The measures will apply from May 2018 for the first and December 2019 for the second.
The Mayor announced:
- A ban on junk food advertising on the city's Tube and bus network. The ban will cover posters advertising foods that are high in calories, poor in nutrition and high in fat, salt and sugar.
- A ban on fast food outlets within 400 metres of a school. This does not apply to existing outlets. The aim is to offer new takeaway food outlets (such as fish and chips, pizza or chicken) in the coming years. These alternatives will have to be healthier, such as grilling or roasting meat instead of frying it, and using less salt. In order to be set up, these restaurants will have to sign an agreement with the town hall in exchange for a permit to open.
These measures are primarily aimed at children between the ages of 10 and 15 (secondary school age), but the aim is also to raise awareness of this new scourge among the population as a whole.
The partners and funders of this obesity plan are the City of London and the UK government.
The measures are too new to assess their long-term impact on reducing childhood obesity. A study will be carried out in 2028, ten years after implementation, to monitor the results. The UK also has the world's strictest rules on advertising foods high in fat, salt and sugar.
Little extra
London has already taken other steps in recent years to tackle childhood obesity:
-in 2016, with a tax on sugary drinks and soft drinks
-In 2020, junk food advertising will be banned before 9pm. And in 2022, it will be illegal to display high-calorie foods at checkouts or in shop entrances.
This initiative sheet was written by Maëlys Valgalier, LFC trainee - March 2021
Last modification : 23 Jan 2024.
City of London
London has voted to ban junk food advertising on the Tube and to ban fast food outlets from being located within 400 metres of a school. These two measures are part of a new urban planning project called the London Plan (2018-2023). The cost of this plan is €11 million. These decrees aim to limit and reduce the number of overweight and obese children.