Pittwater Life January 2024 Issue

Health & Wellbeing
Chef Oliver joins Scamps’
junk food ad ban crusade
Health & Wellbeing
Mackellar MP Dr Sophie
Scamps recently
teamed up with celebrity
chef Jamie Oliver to promote
her Healthy Kids Private
Members Bill, as she ramps
up her campaign to achieve
restrictions on junk food advertising
to children.
“Meeting Jamie was a real
highlight for me in my campaign
to stop our kids being
bombarded with advertisements
for fatty, salty and sugary
foods,” Dr Scamps said of
their meeting in November.
“His work as a healthy food
advocate, especially food marketed
to children has inspired
me.”
Most people know Oliver as
the TV chef with the endearing
Essex accent. But as well as
being a global food superstar
and advocate for healthy
home-cooked food, he’s also
championed the cause of improving
children’s food habits
and protecting them from
harmful junk food advertising
for decades in the UK.
Jamie’s ‘AdEnough’ campaign
had a simple message: to make
it easier for children to make
better, healthier food choices.
In 2018 he ran a grassroots
SEE NO ‘EVIL’: Jamie Oliver with Dr Sophie Scamps.
action, where parents and
children were asked to post a
picture of themselves covering
their eyes.
The message? The only
way to avoid seeing ads for
unhealthy junk food is literally
to cover your kids’ eyes.
“It was hugely successful
– he’s managed to convince
London Transport to stop displaying
ads for unhealthy food
on all London Transport,” said
Dr Scamps.
“The UK government
has also agreed to ban the
advertising of foods high in
fat, sugar and salt until after
9pm and a ban on ‘buy-oneget-one-free’
deals on junk
food. The TV ban is still to be
implemented.”
Oliver said he was dismayed
that junk food manufacturers
were targeting children.
He said: “Basically, what we
found out is that our children
– your children – are being
hunted.
“Advertisers and marketers
are specifically trying to advertise
to kids.”
Oliver explained that after
looking at digital billboards at
bus stops in the UK he and his
team quickly ascertained that
they were advertising unhealthy
food at precisely the time kids
were going to school, then
switching to other products like
holidays and travel once the
kids were in their classrooms.
“Kids are not born to eat
nuggets or pizza. It’s not genetic.
It’s marketing,” he said.
“If you have relentless advertising
to kids, it does change
the outcomes.”
In Australia, more than
$550million is spent on advertising
food and non-alcoholic
drinks.
The Federal government has
commissioned a study from
the University of Wollongong
on the feasibility of banning
junk food advertising in Aus-
52 JANUARY 2024
The Local Voice Since 1991