The restriction of unhealthy food and drink advertising on South Australian Government Transit Assets policy

Marina Bowshall, Chief Executive, Preventive Health SA.

Supporting children and families to eat well is essential for healthy growth and development, especially during childhood where good habits and food preferences are shaped and carried into adulthood. The food people eat is largely driven by the food environments in which we live. Unhealthy foods and drinks are readily available, heavily promoted and relatively cheap. Therefore, addressing unhealthy food environments is an essential strategy to improve the health of the community.

Preventive Health SA is driving a broad and multilayered strategy to address the State’s most significant public health issue – rising rates of overweight and obesity. Recognising the role of advertising in shaping food consumption, the Government of South Australia has made a commitment to restrict unhealthy food and drink advertising on public transit assets. The development of the policy was informed by a review of the evidence; guidance from the World Health Organisation that recommend countries implement comprehensive mandatory policies to protect children from the marketing of foods; and a public consultation held in 2024 which considered feedback from various sectors including public health, the food and beverage industry and the advertising industry.

The Restriction of Unhealthy Food and Drink Advertising on South Australian Government Transit Assets policy came into effect on 1 July 2025 and bans the advertising of unhealthy food and drinks on state-owned buses, trains, and trams.

The policy is being implemented by Preventive Health SA in partnership with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport and represents a critical lever as part of a comprehensive approach to obesity prevention. It also demonstrates how Preventive Health SA is delivering on national strategies, including the National Obesity Strategy 2022-2032, National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030, and the National Diabetes Strategy 2021-2030 all of which include restricting unhealthy food marketing to children as a policy goal.

By creating environments that support healthy eating, this initiative aligns with South Australia’s broader public health goals of improving nutrition and reducing the prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases.

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