West Midlands backs bus campaign that could see major change on public transport

Richard Parker has added his voice to a campaign to ban junk food advertising

The Mayor of the West Midlands has backed celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's campaign to stop junk food advertising on public transport. Richard Parker, along with eight other mayors across the country, have backed the 'AdEnough' campaign to block such marketing and improve the health of children.

Mr Oliver said youngsters are being 'bombarded with unhealthy messaging around food' as a result of outdoor advertising. The pledge means any Mayors introducing bus franchising powers will ban the adverts, with the same sanction being introduced on Metro systems, over the next few years.

Mr Parker said: "I want the West Midlands to be a region that gives our young people the best start in life. Childhood obesity is an issue that impacts on all our communities.

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"Our children’s health is critical and already we follow government guidelines for advertising on our metro and bus stops. But I want to see if we can go further, and explore other ways in which children in our region can be helped to make healthier choices.

"It’s important to set young people up for the very best futures."

Mr Oliver said: "It’s so brilliant to see the mayors stepping up, committing to this bold initiative and banning junk-food ads in their public spaces. It’s a much-needed and vital step towards creating healthier, happier communities across the UK, where our kids aren’t constantly bombarded with unhealthy messaging around food.

"Of course, there’s still a long way to go, but this is a great start. When it comes to protecting our children, we’ve all had AdEnough."

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Katharine Jenner, Director of Obesity Health Alliance, added: "Across the country, there is a growing movement of local authorities taking a stand for child health. Every day, we see junk food ads everywhere we look – on billboards, bus stops, even in our schools. It’s not fair, and it’s affecting our health.

"Children exposed to junk food adverts are more likely to choose unhealthy foods. This evidence-based policy is an important move to reduce the risk of diet-related diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes in young people.

"We hope this powerful example from the Mayors will inspire both councils and our national government to follow suit and take this important step to protect child health."

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