2023-02-07
The Victorian Greens have called on the Victorian Labor Government to ban unhealthy food and drink advertising across Victoria’s public transport network.
The Greens are joining Cancer Council Victoria, VicHealth, Deakin University, and other leading community health organisations in calling on the government to protect children from unhealthy food and drink advertising.
Research from the Cancer Council shows that Victorian children are subjected to at least 25 unhealthy food and drink ads every day, including on public transport and near schools, and that this advertising has a strong influence on what children eat, what they want to eat, and what they nag their parents to buy.
The Greens say that supporting children’s health and wellbeing is essential to set them up for the best start in life. But right now, only six per cent of children eat enough fruit and vegetables, while one-third of energy in children’s diets comes from unnecessary foods and drinks.
Unhealthy diets in childhood are associated with lifelong health issues, including preventable cancers and diabetes caused by being overweight.
The Greens’ push comes as other Australian jurisdictions – Western Australia, Queensland and the ACT – have taken action to protect children’s health from junk food advertising.
In London, restrictions on junk food advertising on public transport were shown to decrease the purchase and consumption of these unhealthy foods and drinks.
The Greens say that to give children the best start in life and to prevent further strain on our already-stretched health system, the state must act now to ban unhealthy food and drink advertising across Victoria’s public transport network.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens population health spokesperson, Dr Tim Read:
“Food companies bombard our children with unhealthy food and drink advertisements every day because it works - our children are buying and consuming these products because they see them advertised everywhere they go.
"Unhealthy diets set children up for lifelong health issues, including preventable cancers, type 2 diabetes, obesity and dental decay. We should be doing everything we can to give children the best start in life, including protecting them from unhealthy food and drink advertisements.
“If we’re genuinely committed to reducing hospital waiting lists, it’s time we stopped corporations from actively promoting disease-causing products.”