St Helens Borough Council is taking steps to implement a healthier food and drink Advertising Policy, which would require advertisers using council-owned spaces to replace unhealthy food and drink promotions with healthier alternatives.
This initiative, to be considered by cabinet members on Wednesday, 19 March 2025, aligns with the council’s commitment to improving public health, addressing inequalities, and supporting environmental sustainability.
The report to cabinet details the serious and damaging impact of food-related ill health both locally and nationally, and that a move to encourage healthier advertising could form an important strand of the council’s wider work to improve public health, stating:
“Adopting a healthier food and drink advertising policy as a council aligns with existing council priorities including giving children the best start in life and promoting health and independence.”
In support of the recommendation, the report goes on to say: “A healthy advertising policy would promote healthier food and drink products to St Helens’ residents, taking the spotlight away from products which are high in fat, salt and sugar, which currently occupy centre stage in some advertising spaces. Evidence from other areas which have already adopted such a policy suggests that this change to advertising can help to reduce calorie intake and therefore has the potential to support improvements to the health and wellbeing of St Helens residents.”
The policy would bring St Helens Borough in line with seven other local authorities in Cheshire and Merseyside that have already adopted similar measures, demonstrating the growing momentum towards responsible advertising practices that promote healthier choices.
The ultimate goal is for all local authorities in the subregion to follow suit, making Cheshire and Merseyside the first UK region to implement a unified approach to healthier advertising.
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