ISBA, the Advertising Association and Outsmart have published a review of research into HFSS advertising restrictions on TfL.
The report, authored by SLG Economics, assesses two research studies – one by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the other by Sheffield University – on the effectiveness of the ban on HFSS advertising on the Transport for London estate in 2019.
This report examines:
- the counterfactual used in the TfL study;
- the coverage of HFSS categories in the TfL study;
- the credibility of the results of the TfL study in the light of its comparison with the results of other advertising bans, the fact that out-of-home consumption is excluded from the research, and conflicting evidence of impacts on childhood obesity; and
- the results’ viability in the light of other factors, including the voluntary restrictions on HFSS advertising near school boundaries, the availability of HFSS advertising in free newspapers which are widely read by TfL users, and the failure to track usage of TfL services by people in the survey.
The review also questions the statistical validity of the results, and concludes that the studies should not be relied upon as evidence that the TfL ban has been effective.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please contact ISBA's Director of Public Affairs, Rob Newman, at RobN@isba.org.uk.