Biteback ad campaign rejected

In April, BiteBack, a youth-led youth organisation which campaigns against industry influence over our food system launched its #CommercialBreak campaign, taking over ad spaces in London with the message: “Young Activists Bought This Ad Space So Junk Food Giants Couldn’t.”

After huge success, including an award win at the Sheila McKechnie Awards, the organisation has been told by two of the biggest advertising companies in the UK that they will not run the billboard ad again. This is despite breaking no rules, according to the Committee of Advertising Practice.

Greg Fell, ADPH President, said:

“The consumption of unhealthy food and drink is not the result of personal choice. The reality is that with healthy alternatives around three times as expensive as unhealthy options, and our consumption habits heavily influenced by clever advertising and marketing campaigns that are backed by multi-million pound budgets, we simply don’t have the freedom to choose. There is no quick fix, but we know from our experience of tackling tobacco harm, that one of the key ways to reduce illness and death caused by harmful products is to introduce tighter restrictions on advertising those products.

“Not only is there strong adult public support for tighter restrictions, but youth-led organisations like BiteBack, are highlighting – very eloquently and powerfully – just how important this issue is to young people themselves.”

Alice Wiseman, ADPH Vice President, added:

“What BiteBack are trying to do is reduce the amount of unhealthy food and drink advertising people are seeing to reduce this influence, but they have been stopped in their tracks. It seems non-sensical, and certainly damaging to people’s health and wellbeing, that these ads have been blocked, yet ads promoting food that is linked to wide range of health problems, are being plastered over billboards across the country.”