Obesity prevention policy - Cancer Council WA

There are too many barriers faced by Western Australians when it comes to eating well. Highly processed, unhealthy food and drinks are heavily advertised, promoted and widely available.

Cancer Council WA advocates for policies that shift the focus back to healthy food and drink options, that will support Western Australian’s to eat well, to live in the best possible health and reduce their risk of diet and obesity related chronic disease including cancer.

We do this by:

Working with researchers to build evidence
Talking to community and decision-makers
Working with other health and medical organisations to build consensus and capacity

This work is generously funded by Healthway and is undertaken in partnership with the Telethon Kids Institute.

Stay up to date

To stay up to date on our work, subscribe to our Obesity Policy Review newsletter by emailing ObesityPolicy@cancerwa.asn.au and read back issues. You can also follow us on Twitter at ObesityPolicyWA.

WA government action to restrict unhealthy food and drink advertising on government property.

Setting standards for the types of food and drinks advertised on government property is a cost-effective action governments can take.

Evaluations show it can improve population diets, deliver health and cost benefits and not make an impact to government revenue.

2023 Policy brief - Healthy food and drink advertising on WA Government property

Download: 2023 Policy brief - Healthy food and drink advertising on WA Government property PDF 156kB

2023 Economic evaluation Restricting unhealthy advertising WA Gov Property CBA Summary

Download: 2023 Economic evaluation Restricting unhealthy advertising WA Gov Property CBA Summary PDF 167kB

Joint statement WA public health groups

Download: Joint statement WA public health groups PDF 490kB

Changes to WA planning laws to limit unhealthy food outlets, including near schools.

Perth schools and residential areas have high numbers of unhealthy food outlets around them and close by.

Current planning laws are insufficient to refuse nearly all development applications for new unhealthy food outlets.

2024 Policy Brief - Reform of Western Australia’s planning laws to limit unhealthy food outlets and to support access to healthy food options, including near schools

Download: 2024 Policy Brief - Reform of Western Australia’s planning laws to limit unhealthy food outlets and to support access to healthy food options, including near schools PDF 133kB

Discussion paper – school sites and unhealthy food outlets

Download: Discussion paper – school sites and unhealthy food outlets PDF 488kB

UWA Law School - Critique of WA Planning Law and how community health is protected?

Download: UWA Law School - Critique of WA Planning Law and how community health is protected? PDF 555kB

Reports

Food Advertising on School Buses: Commissioned research by the Western Australian Cancer Prevention and Research Centre (WACPRU) to understand the amount of unhealthy food advertising displayed at Perth train station and on buses stopping at a sample of Perth high schools on the first day of school for 2020.
Junk-food filled neighbourhoods – Building a local evidence base for change: Commissioned research by the Telethon Kids Institute to investigate outdoor food marketing around Perth schools and current density of fast-food outlets in Perth. It builds the evidence for regulatory interventions required for outdoor advertising and planning reform to control fast food outlet development.
Junk food in sport: it’s just not cricket. A report on how much KFC branding children are exposed to as part of the Cricket Australia KFC Big Bash League and what does the Western Australian community think about junk food sponsorship in sport, results of a Cancer Council WA survey.
Unhealthy Promotion in Elite Sport: When Burgers Aren’t Better: A report showing that every fourth Instagram post by elite WA sporting teams promotes unhealthy behaviours.
Regulatory and law options to advance obesity prevention policy: A report prepared by UWA law school with Cancer Council WA a member of the advisory board, funded by Healthway.

Articles

Trapp G, Hooper H, Billingham W et al. Would you like fries with that? Investigating fast-food outlet availability near schools in Perth, Western Australia. Health Promo J Austral 2022, 1-6

Trapp G, Hooper P, Thornton L et al. Does fast-food outlet density differ by area-level disadvantage in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia? Health Promot J Austral 2022, 1-4

Trapp G, Hooper P, Thornton LE, et al. Exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising during the school commute in Australia. J Epidemiol Community Health 2021; 0:1–4. doi:10.1136/jech-2021-217032

Trapp G, Hooper P, Thornton LE et al. Children’s exposure to outdoor advertising near primary and secondary schools in Australia. Health Promot J Austral 2021;00:1-7. doi:10.1002/hpja.532

Chung A, Zorbas C, Riesenberg D et al, Policies to restrict unhealthy food and beverage advertising in outdoor spaces and on publicly owned assets: A scoping review of the literature. World Obesity 2021; e13386 doi.org/10.1111/obr.13386

Trapp G, Hooper P, Thornton L et al. Association between food-outlet availability near secondary schools and junk-food purchasing among Australian adolescents. Nutrition 2021, 91-92

Submissions

Western Australian Inquiry into the most effective ways to address food insecurity for children and young people affected by poverty – Cancer Council WA Submission.
Review of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 Public Health and Consumer organisations call for food regulatory reform to put the health of Australian and New Zealanders first
Local development plan Parkland Heights Baldivis objection to two drive-through fast-food outlets with a residential estate.
Objection to development application for three drive-through fast food outlets opposite Hammond Park Primary School.

Published Blogs

Perth Football Club seeks to appoint a Hungry Jacks Engagement Officer to promote the junk food brand in schools. A Croakey article describes how the junk food industry uses sporting endorsements to work around weak regulations and target school students.
Buckethead given the OK to advertise KFC to children at Big Bash Cricket games. Cancer Council WA reflect on the disappointing outcome from an Ad Standard complaint in a blog published on Parents’ Voice.
An epidemic of junk food marketing: A Croakey article examining the junk food and quick service industry capitalisation on COVID-19 during lockdowns.

News and Media Releases

4 May 2022 Now is the time to protect children from junk food advertising.
1 Feb 2023 Sport is no place for junk food and drink marketing. Let’s get Junk food out of cricket
5 August 2021 WA health experts say junk food and sugary drink sponsorships have no place in sport.
11 June 2021 Cancer Council WA welcomes State Government funding: Continuing our work in partnership with the Telethon Kids Institute on our policy related research into healthy eating and the impact of junk food advertising.
8 July 2020 Cancer Council WA partners with Telethon Kids Institute: Cancer Council WA has partnered with Telethon Kids Institute to receive funding from Healthway to deliver a Rapid Obesity Policy Translation Project.

The Obesity Policy Review is a monthly newsletter that aims to update the community on the latest obesity policy news, research and advocacy being undertaken.