South Australia has banned junk food advertising on public buses, trains and trams from today (1 July 2025).

The state government says images of unhealthy products such as chocolate, lollies, confectionery, desserts, ice creams, soft drinks and chips will not be permitted on Adelaide Metro buses, trains and trams.

In its reasoning for the decision, the government cites research that shows that obesity has overtaken tobacco as the leading risk factor contributing to disease burden in Australia. 

It says South Australian children are regularly exposed to unhealthy food and drink advertising. 

Data from Cancer Council SA shows almost 80 percent of food and drink advertisements on South Australian buses promote unhealthy food and drinks.

Around 63.1 percent of adults and 35.2 percent of children across South Australia are reportedly overweight or obese.

It added that modelling indicates that if no action is taken, the number of South Australians living with overweight or obesity is expected to grow by an additional 1900 children and 48,000 adults over the next five years. 

Further research commissioned by Preventive Health SA shows that without action, children born in 2023 could see as much as a seven-month reduction in life expectancy because of obesity.

The government says it is “considering additional measures” in response to this public health issue, but did not specify what those measures could entail.

Pushback against the ban

A decade ago, the Australian Capital Territory removed advertisements for unhealthy food, alcohol and gambling from state-owned buses and light rail transport. 

The South Australian government has claimed a consistent body of evidence demonstrates that food and drink marketing can affect a child’s nutrition knowledge, food preferences and consumption patterns.

It says its latest “evidence-based policy” was a result of a public consultation process that included feedback from public health organisations, the food and beverage industry and the advertising industry.

However, there has been fierce pushback from organisations such as the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) and Outdoor Media Association (OMA), which claim that the ad ban will be ineffective and does not address the root causes of obesity.

“We fully support measures that encourage healthier choices, but the implementation of these policies must be based on credible, evidence-based criteria,” AANA CEO Josh Faulks says.  

“The government has not been able to clearly articulate what is in and what is out of their banned list and has told businesses to submit their ads to an expert panel for assessment if they are unsure. This list should be science-based, objective and create certainty for business, not create more confusion.” 

The AANA has urged the South Australian government to adopt the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criteria. The FSANZ is an independent statutory agency established by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 and is part of the Australian Government’s Health portfolio. All State and territory jurisdictions are subject to the food regulations in the FSANZ Code.  

Efforts at a national level to restrict junk food advertising included a bill introduced two years ago by Independent MP for Mackellar Dr Sophie Scamps, a former emergency room doctor. 

The Healthy Kids Advertising Bill 2023, which is yet to be passed, aims to protect children from junk food marketing by removing ads from TV and radio between the hours of 6am and 9.30pm. 

The Bill also placed an outright ban on junk food marketing on social media and other online environments. Under the regulations, substantial fines would be imposed on broadcasters, internet service providers and food companies that fail to adhere to the guidelines. 

In November, Scamps reintroduced her Healthy Kids Advertising Bill 2024. 

She called for support for the Bill from the likes of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, citing research conducted by the Australia Institute in late 2022 showing strong public support for regulating unhealthy food marketing, with 66 percent backing a ban on junk food advertising.

The average Australian child is reportedly exposed to over 800 unhealthy food advertisements on television each year and at least 100 online every week, says Scamps, adding that there is “a direct link” between those ads and childhood obesity. 

“Not only is it causing a national health crisis, but it is an enormous financial cost to the taxpayer, with obesity estimated to cost the health system $11.8 billion every year,” Scamp says. 

Read more: Three-quarters of Australians want junk food advertising banned