Jim Duffy comment: Well done TfL for cutting out junk food fat cats

Sometimes the status quo just is not good enough when it comes to nutrition, says Duffy. Picture: contributed.

Huge amounts of salt, sugar, fat and processed “stuff” has entered the food chain over the last 20 years. It has fuelled obesity in children, while making the companies that produce it very profitable. It seemed there was no way of stopping all the adverts on buses, taxis, tube stations and billboards. That is until Transport for London (TfL) made a stand this week, banning junk food ads. But, the reaction has a bittersweet taste.

I bet if you took the time to really look, you would see mountains of junk food ads in almost all media possible. From garage forecourt deals to coupons in newspapers, the back of double decker buses to billboards on our streets. With all this targeted advertising and marketing, we have been pulled into the processed food food chain. This has resulted in a “ticking time bomb”, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan, where our children are practically living off the worst foods possible; high in fats, calories and refined sugars. By taking a stand, Khan and TfL have sent a powerful signal to food corporations and advertising agencies that enough is enough.

Public Health England data from October, a month before the ban was announced, revealed that 37 per cent of 10 and 11-year-olds in London were overweight or obese. This staggering figure paints a vivid picture of the realities of being a kid today. Add to this the time spent on smartphones instead of on the football or netball pitch and this generation is at serious risk of being the most unhealthy ever. What’s the worst that can happen with this ban? More kids stay healthy and eat better food… definitely a goal worth our energies.

But TfL is a business and this will potentiality hit its bottom line, which required marketing and advertising cash from big food firms to help it function. Conservative critics say the ban will cost a cash-strapped TfL £13 million a year and mean less money for infrastructure upgrades. But doing the right thing seems to be more important for TfL than continuing to accept cash that is potentially contributing to an obesity epidemic in its customers.

Advertising agencies and junk food companies have already hit back at Khan and TfL for being commercially naive. Outsmart director Tim Lumb said: “We regret that the Mayor of London has bluntly applied measures which may remove a significant amount of revenue for TfL. It seems that this decision has been rooted in political gain, not fact, and will likely take money away from the London transport system at a time when it can ill-afford it.” So, despite making a stand for a generation of children, profit has reared its head. My question is – where do you sit on this decision?

We need big firms to be successful as so many fund our pensions and investments. They employ people and oil the economy. But, when the products they are selling are quite literally damaging the health of children, questions have to be asked and action taken. Sometimes the status quo is just not good enough when it comes to nutrition and how we as consumers react to the adverts that are bombarding us. Khan’s line is clear: “Advertising plays a huge part in the choices we make, whether we realise it or not, and Londoners have shown overwhelming support for a ban on adverts for junk food and drink on our transport network.” The ban also has the support of chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver, who said Londoners “want a transport system with healthier ads and messages”.

I do hope Scotland is watching and that we continue to take a stand on junk foods, regardless of operating income or profit, to look after Scotland’s kids, who are just as influenced and keen to eat junk food – as the adverts are  everywhere here also.

- Jim Duffy MBE, Create Special