Is This English City Banning Burgers From Billboards? Bold Step Against Obesity

A city often in the limelight for its cultural heritage and sports vibrancy, Liverpool just set a precedent for world history, at least on the aspect of public health. In one dramatic stroke, the City Council of Liverpool is considering a ban on junk food advertising across billboards owned by the city so it can stem the rising tide of obesity. This may be that crucial turning point cities worldwide show in facing public health crises related to diet.

With an alarming 63% of adults and roughly a quarter of the children starting school overweight or obese in Liverpool, the leadership of this city realizes it has a challenge to introduce timely intervention. These statistics increase by the time the child attains the age of 11, with one in every three children falling into the category of overweight or obese. A council report on health in the recent times has issued a grim forecast of the future, saying that obesity would be the second most worrying health problem by 2040 if the trend continued in that direction.

Liverpool is by no means a loner in such efforts to decrease the impact of products high in fat, salt, and sugar on people's health. Many cities around the world have moved to restrict access to, or promotion of, foods that are not healthy, including:

- Amsterdam, Netherlands: Known for its holistic approach to health, Amsterdam has taken strict policy measures in regulating junk food advertising near schools and parks to protect its youngest citizens.

- Belfast, Northern Ireland: After previous investment in robust public health campaigns, Belfast has implemented policies to constrain the marketing of junk food as part of broader initiatives to enhance dietary behavior.2 Oakland, California, USA: This city in America has been at the forefront of progressive public health policy measures relating to the tax on soft drinks and limits on the outdoor advertising of junk foods.

Liverpool's strategy involves rather more than the removal of junk food adverts on billboards. This would be a step toward a healthier environment that limits the visual stimuli that predispose individuals, especially the youth and economically deprived sections, to make unhealthier food choices. The ban would, therefore, be in congruence with wider public health objectives around reducing the prevalence of diet-related diseases such as diabetes and heart conditions, whose prevalence is higher in high-deprivation areas.

The city council's initiative forms part of a much larger holistic approach toward health, comprising nutritional literacy educational programs along with community engagement activities to make people lead active lifestyles. In this way, Liverpool is trying to create a sustainable model for the improvement of health outcomes that would be replicated by other cities.

More importantly, however, than these short-term commercial consequences - with the city anxiously awaiting the decision of the council's cabinet - such a policy would mean Liverpool is leading a global movement towards accountability in advertising. That would perhaps inspire other cities to reconsider their strategies related to public health and advertising, conceivably creating a global sea-change in the manner with which communities battle the epidemic of obesity.

If passed, the policy will signify a clear statement of intent from Liverpool on its commitment to protect its citizens' health against commercial interests. As cities around the world continue to observe and learn, this pioneering spirit shown by Liverpool in the field of public health may just mark a new chapter in governance related to urban health.