please empty your brain below
But DG, you're missing the point. By banning something that's considered "evil", but actually isn't happening, Sadiq gets points for doing a "good thing" whilst costing absolutely nothing.

It's a politician's wet dream.

Now, can I interest you in some elephant repellent?

Jon Jones | 12.05.18 - 7:19 a.m. | #

A good piece comparing spin with facts, as to the obesity epidemic, many people lead stressful lives and survive from day to day, so see little point in being told by the likes of millionaire Jamie Oliver that they ought to try to prolong them.

Still Anon | 12.05.18 - 7:20 a.m. | #

Please could someone explain why a piece of meat, some veg and condiments wrapped in bread constitutes "junk food".

Recalling my biology lessons this would be considered as a balanced meal containing protein and carbohydrate, especially when served with chips - starch, alongside a smattering of vitamins.

Ken | 12.05.18 - 7:26 a.m. | #

I fully support a ban, and the fact that one of the people who is spending time trying to educate young people about what sort of food is not good for them is a millionaire makes his support even more welcome, he doesn't have to bother with getting involved with this campaign but the fact is that he does it out of concern, you can purchase good nutritious food just as cheaply as junk food as Mr Oliver has proved, my concern would not be that people are so stupid as to not want to live a happy healthy life but that they will go on to cost the NHS billions in future care costs.

fishislandskin | 12.05.18 - 7:36 a.m. | #

Would the generic McDonalds adverts be banned? They are promoting a company (admittedly one specialising in junk food), rather than the junk food itself.

Peter BINNERSLEY | 12.05.18 - 8:19 a.m. | #

"This ban would include ‘brand only’ advertising by the food and drink sector such as advertising using only a name or logo, as often used in directional advertising at stations and on bus stops."

diamond geezer | Homepage | 12.05.18 - 8:21 a.m. | #

But what about junk food adverts (often McDonald's coupons on the front page) in the thousands of copies of the Metro and ES given away free on TfL premises everyday?

andy c | 12.05.18 - 9:03 a.m. | #

Surely the best way to combat obesity would be to remove the proliferation of chicken / kebab / pizza outlets that clog up the High Streets of London?

A kid doesn't need to look at McDonald's adverts while waiting at a bus stop when that bus stop is outside a row of independent fast food outlets many of which advertise "student specials" in their windows - eg google the South Harrow station stops!

Mind you, back in the 1970s/1980s there were fewer food outlets, so we just filled up on sweets from the newsagents on our way home instead!!

Cornish Cockney | 12.05.18 - 9:32 a.m. | #

Now compute the publicity of a certain burger chain throughout all this mayoral puff, either explicitly or implicitly, as it seems to be Mcthat that springs primarily to mind when junk food is mentioned, plus quite a few actual pics of the carbs'n'fatberg. A marketing dream. The promotional value of this must far outweigh any potential reduction on bus shelters. They must be lovin' it.

Strabismus | 12.05.18 - 9:36 a.m. | #

No names, no pack drill but my local paper (commuter terri[very]TORY outside London) had a big splash this week. Our esteemed MP had cut the ribbon for the reopening of a branch of MacDonalds after a £600k refurbishment. Perhaps he should talk to Mr Khan. I totally agree your last sentence DG.

Amazed at politicians | 12.05.18 - 9:54 a.m. | #

So there two theories here - that advertising junk food entices children to each more junk food, and that junk food causes obesity. Assuming those theories are true, then banning such advertising on TfL will reduce obesity. Sounds like a great idea, assuming those theories are true. So how is the effectiveness of this policy going to be measured in the future? How is child obesity being measured and how will this change expected to be seen in those measures? Is a further reduction in TfL income worth the outcome?

This sounds like a good policy, but how about checking to make sure it is, rather than just assuming it is.

Jimbo | 12.05.18 - 10:21 a.m. | #

Fish is land skin,

You are going to die, and whenever you do, it is likely to cost the NHS a fortune, your healthy world fantasy is not going to save the NHS one penny, even for diabetes, care to offset the cost of that against arthritis and Alzheimer's?

As for living healthily? I have no particular desire to spend the last ten years of my life rotting away in an old people's home.

Max Roberts | 12.05.18 - 10:49 a.m. | #

Gesture politics from the master of it; Sadiq Khan the Liar ( Tube fares, house building, tree planting etc etc). And anything that that fat fucking hypocrite Jamie Oliver, with his sugar-stuffed recipes and restaurant meals, says on this issue can be discounted immediately.

David | 12.05.18 - 10:56 a.m. | #

I see you've written about personal freedom and TfL politics. Let me tell you my agenda...

Tedious Generic Commenter | 12.05.18 - 12:05 p.m. | #

It feels we are a long way from the days of Cadbury vending machines on every platform. I find it sad actually.

Jon Combe | 12.05.18 - 12:15 p.m. | #

Ah yes, the armour-plated shiny chrome chocolate vending machines.

Had drawer mechanisms so strong you could lose a finger.

And the chances that you could actually persuade it to dispense chocolate in exchange for your coins was never greater than evens.

Gavin | 12.05.18 - 12:25 p.m. | #

How is the TfL network defined?

Buses are not owned by TfL - who gets the revenue from their advertising? Until contracts are relet presumably TfL cannot suddenly demand changes in the adverts they carry?

Bus shelters as I understand it are also not always TfLs but are owned by advertising companies in exchange for their right to show adverts on them. Again unless contracts are revised TfL may not be able to ban certain adverts without compensation

Saatchi | 12.05.18 - 1:20 p.m. | #

Children read the metro on the way to school on bus or tube,probably not they are on their phones.

I cant remember seeing a 'junk food' advert on public transport, they have no need to ,what with social media etc

Well done Khan, i really have lost hope with this guy, not a clown like Boris, but wake up

Bruce Wayne | 12.05.18 - 1:41 p.m. | #

Is it a coincidence that after Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's depressingly true programme about obesity failed to get any interviews with our caring government, the next day or so SK comes up with this brilliant idea?

dg writes: Yes, it's a coincidence. The Mayor's Food Policy is dated April 2018.

NickK | 12.05.18 - 4:25 p.m. | #

Eeek - the food police are coming!
There he goes again with another "Ban Them!" policy.
After already banning 'beach ready' type adverts showing too much toned flesh on the premise that they made people with less-than-perfect bodies feel inadequate and miserable... it seems his ploy now is to ban adverts for the very stuff that people with less-than-perfect bodies enjoy feeding themselves on.
On one hand 'gesture politics' - on another a further sign of a Control Freak culture.
People will do what they do.
Sheesh, how long did it take from the first episode of "Jamie's School Dinners" (his oh-so-virtuous crusade to make school dinners more nutritious) before mothers in Kidbrooke and elsewhere around the country were bootlegging "junk food" parcels through school fences at lunchtimes, as a show of triumph of burgers and chips over ricotta and basil pannini?
It was pretty obvious a backlash was gonna come and - when it did - it pretty much represented the oft-repeated rebellion of the common people against the bourgeoisie. "Our kids don't want that poncy stuff - we know what they like and it's what we give them!"

RogerW | 12.05.18 - 4:56 p.m. | #

It's a shame he can't do a far greater service and ban commuters...except me of course.

daveid76 | 12.05.18 - 5:04 p.m. | #

heartwarming to see a mention of Bus Stop M

Caz | 12.05.18 - 5:05 p.m. | #

Hmm, Saint Jamie eh? He introduced his own sugar tax in his restaurants and sacked a 50p sugar levy on all soft drinks, including diet ones :-)

Pity he can’t find another country he can take his evangelical spiel to, even the usually gullible Aussies have sent him packing, he’s had to transfer al his restaurants their to a franchise partner as they are haemorrhaging money.

Rob C. | 12.05.18 - 6:13 p.m. | #

"The 12 bus shelters along Ripple Road "

I wonder how many other London street names fall foul of these proposals.

Richard | 12.05.18 - 6:16 p.m. | #

If it's so unhealthy we should ban the food not the adverts for it.

ActonMan | 12.05.18 - 6:23 p.m. | #

It's perfectly logical to continue to permit something suspected of being harmful (on liberty grounds) but to discourage or ban advertising for it. Tobacco and alcohol, for instance. Some junk food seems to be recommended for such treatment.

I am impressed by DG's thorough investigation of the issue, and quite surprised by the discovery that, bus shelters apart, there is very little junk food advertised on public transport even before the ban comes in. (An incomplete summary, I know).

Malcolm | 12.05.18 - 7:06 p.m. | #

I think we should ban digital advertisements which would save energy and have a positive influence on the environment, rather than waste our efforts to "ban" adverts which won't make as much a difference if at all.

Paul | 13.05.18 - 12:02 a.m. | #

they probably warned the companies months ago so they would need to stop so they have already changed plans.

many campaigns are seasonal so chocolate is autumn, Xmas, Easter. fast food will next be big around the world Cup I'd assume.

Tim m | 13.05.18 - 12:50 a.m. | #

@Ken 7:26am

A piece of meat, some veg and condiments wrapped in bread constitutes "junk food" if it isn't sold at some fancy restaurant. Fat and sugar are fine as long as Jaime or Hugh rather than Ronald or the Colonel are selling it.

If your restaurants are failing to make money, lobbying (successfully) to ban your rivals advertising is a clever move.

Si | 13.05.18 - 12:53 a.m. | #

Sadiq would be doing far more to combat childhood obesity by limiting free travel. Why walk a short distance to school when you can go three stops on a bus?

Ned | 13.05.18 - 8:16 a.m. | #

I had thought that the “Don’t read the comments” rule didn’t apply to this blog. But clearly it does.

Bryn Davies | 13.05.18 - 9:24 a.m. | #

I wish I hadn't read several of them.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 13.05.18 - 9:35 a.m. | #

Just in case anyone doubted that Jamie Oliver was a hypocrite....

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6278943/jamie-oliver-restaurants-nhs-fat-sugar-limits/

David | 14.05.18 - 9:57 a.m. | #

His restaurant sells desserts?
String him up.

Also, the cafeteria at the Houses of Parliament sells muffins WITH NUTELLA! Hypocrites!

diamond geezer | Homepage | 14.05.18 - 3:42 p.m. | #

I agree Cornish Cockney, most of the leftover takeaway boxes I see are from independent fried chicken type places, rather than the big international chains

Mikey C | 15.05.18 - 8:09 p.m. | #

When I started reading the post I guessed what the conclusion would be.

The only food adverts I recall seeing on TfL are for takeaways like Deliveroo or Hungry House or whatever. Not sure if these fall under the ban; regarding McDonalds a certain phrase springs to mind - "as a kid every visit to McDonalds is a win; as an adult every visit to McDonalds is a loss".

John | 17.05.18 - 8:53 a.m. | #

In today’s press it is reported that Jamie Oliver quite recently used a Moshi Monster in a video to promote a 436 calorie muffin. Can this be the same St Jamie who excoriates food companies for using cartoon characters to promote sugary food?
It surely can.
There is a word for such behaviour...

dg writes: 'immaterial'.

David | 01.06.18 - 8:25 a.m. | #

Delusional

David | 01.06.18 - 4:31 p.m. | #

Postscript as at 29 Aug 2018
Given I don't "do" buses or trains I rarely get to see much of what happens on or around the [TfL] public transport network: I couldn't tell you if they're staying true to their pledge about visible advertising or not.
However - and it's only thanks to picking up someone else's litter dropped in my local library - that I'm inclined towards a little scepticism.
The litter was a receipt for an Oyster Card top-up. On the reverse of if was a promotional offer for a Big Mac (or a similarly priced alternative) plus medium fries for a special price of £1.99.
One could suggest that this isn't 'advertising' per se
Hmmm. Seems pretty much like advertising to me. Matter of fact, as promotional material goes, it's probably more direct, persuasive and effective than a poster advert on a tube station wall.

dg writes: If you read the latest Mayoral press release, you'll see there are "proposals to ban advertisements for unhealthy food and drinks" - no ban has yet been put in place.

RogerW | 29.08.18 - 1:41 p.m. | #











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