Petition to restrict unhealthy food sponsorship at Scottish sporting events

Please sign on to our petition and support the cause here.

The petition outlines actions to:

1. 1. Ensure sporting events in Scotland are free from sponsorship by high fat, sugar and salt food companies, building on good practices such as from FIFA’s Event Policy on Tobacco which bans sponsorship and advertising by all tobacco products or e-cigarettes, and the Évin’s Law from France which bans all alcohol sponsorships in sports and cultural events. 
   2. Adopt a child-rights approach to restrict HFSS food advertising and marketing within and around sports venues, as per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing. 
   3. Promote affordable, sustainable and healthy food options and prohibit HFSS food outlets at and near sporting venues, mirroring the smoking regulations established during the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. This initiative will promote a junk food-free environment. 
   4. Free media promotions of sporting events from HFSS food advertising. A comprehensive legislative approach has removed tobacco advertising at sporting events from television and most media platforms in Australia.   
   5. Ensure sports persons do not endorse any HFSS food brand elements. In research from the UK,  78% of parents indicate that children prefer food brands associated with their favourite sports players and teams. Positive action in Scotland should build on football teams like Glasgow City FC signing in support of SHAAP’s calling time campaign to end alcohol sponsorship and marketing in sports.

We are calling for immediate action from sports authorities and sporting event organisers to implement our proposed actions and mitigate the harm from HFSS food products on Scotland’s population health. 

To read more on the effects of sports marketing please consult our advertising briefing here.