South Australia bans unhealthy food and drink ads - News + Articles

Jul 03, 2025

Is this just a ham-fisted attempt to teach a pig to sing? Words by Duncan Evans and Andrew Hedgman

Advertisements for ham salad sandwiches are now banned from public transportation in South Australia in a fresh push to roll back childhood and adult obesity.

The ban, which came into effect from July 1, prohibits a range of junk food items from being displayed on Adelaide’s buses, trains and trams, including processed meats like ham.

Chocolate, lollies, confectionery, desserts, ice creams, soft drinks and chips will all be banned from display alongside processed meats, with the measure designed to limit children’s exposure to unhealthy food and drink advertising.

The South Australian Government has come under fire after also officially banning advertisements for fortified soy milk and rice cakes, labelling the household staples as “junk food”.

SA junk food ad ban — The ban covers advertisements on Adelaide’s transportation network.

While intended as a public health initiative, the inclusion of products often seen as healthy alternatives has triggered widespread confusion.

Fortified soy milk is a plant-based beverage made from soybeans that has been enriched with essential nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

One of the country’s most well-known fortified soy milk brands, So Good, has all its soy milk varieties rated five stars under the Health Star Rating system.

Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) CEO Josh Faulks said the decision has left both industry and consumers baffled, and called for a more science-based, objective framework.

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

“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.”

“As it stands, this policy… simply doesn’t make sense, and the government should be making evidence-based decisions, not blanket bans that don’t align with nutritional science.”

He warned the policy could backfire by sending “a contradictory message to consumers” and undermining trust in health-based campaigns.

“The government is effectively discouraging people from consuming what are widely considered to be nutritious core foods,” he said.

rice cakes — Rice cakes didn’t escape the state’s ‘junk food’ ad ban.

To address the growing uncertainty, the AANA has urged the South Australian Government to adopt the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criteria developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), an independent federal agency that guides national food standards.

The agency’s criteria are already used to inform food labelling and health claims across all Australian states and territories.

Faulks also raised concerns about the policy’s potential economic fallout.

“The oat and almond farmers in South Australia may be surprised to know that their government wants people to drink less oat and almond milk,” he said.

“The official policy objective is to drive down purchase and consumption of these products.”

Fairy bread cake — Some things just need a little cake.

The peak body warns charities and businesses could also be negatively impacted by the ban.

“The policy bans all advertising showing those banned food or drink items.

“For example, an ad celebrating the anniversary of a children’s charity which depicts a child with a birthday cake would be banned,” Faulks said.

“The Tasting Australia event can no longer show images of charcuterie boards or pastries in their advertising.

“Under this policy, businesses that have nothing to do with the food or beverage industry will find advertising in South Australia harder.”

Ham sandwich — The ban covers processed meats like ham.

Some 63 percent of adults and 35 percent of children across South Australia are overweight or obese, government figures show.

Health Minister Chris Picton previously said the ban was a “sensible step” to a “healthier South Australia”.

“Food habits and relationships established early in life have a lasting impact on food habits and health outcomes of adults,” he said in January.

“The rising rates of obesity are concerning, which is why we have developed an evidence-based policy to restrict the advertising of unhealthy food and drinks on state government buses and trams.

“This policy recognises that the cumulative exposure of unhealthy food and drink advertising influences a child’s food preferences and intake and the associated ‘pester power’ children use to persuade parents.”