Transport for London (TfL) has banned an advert by business premises provider Workspace featuring artisan cheese after the creative was deemed ‘too unhealthy’ and in violation of its HFSS guidelines.
The out-of-home (OOH) posters designed for the network’s Tube platforms and buses say: “From crunching numbers to selling cheese online, it all happens at Workspace.”
The actual billboard was divided into three sections, with the middle section depicting a cheese wheel with a slice wrapped up in paper.
TfL said the cheese element of the advert did not comply with its advertising standards, which include the restricting of creatives that depict foods high in fat, salt and sugar – as part of the network’s 2019 stance on tackling childhood obesity.
The news came as a blow for Workspace as the transport network was the only venue the brand had planned to advertise, considering it only operates across London.
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TfL’s decision sparked fury among critics, with online cheese monger Cheesegeek CEO Edward Hancock calling the move ‘ridiculous’.
“The whole reason for TfL’s policy is to prevent childhood obesity but how they think artisan cheese will promote child obesity is incredulous.
“We were initially given the go-ahead a couple of months ago, but at the end of August, we were told to tell them the saturated fat content of the cheese in the picture, and they came back saying it violated their standards.
“It is an extremely frustrating and simplistic way of categorising food. It suggests TfL passengers aren’t intelligent enough to understand the complexities of a balanced diet.”
Consultancy firm, the Legal Director legal director Maria Watkins questioned TfL non-CAP enforced ‘blanket ban’ on HFSS adverts, adding:
“It could be argued that the ensuing debate around the removal of the ad has provided Cheese Geek with far more coverage than it would have received had the ad been placed quietly in the Tube.”
TfL responded that advertised foods could be considered an exception if there was appropriate evidence that the product did not contribute to HFSS diets in children.
A TfL spokesperson added: “The advert does not comply with our advertising policy, which uses the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) model to define foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt.
“The rest of the advertising campaign for Workspace was deemed compliant and four different creatives will be running on our network.”
It’s not the first time the London network has blocked an OOH for being unhealthy. Earlier this year, a West end theatre show, Tony n’ Tina’s, was banned for its depiction of a multi-tier wedding cake.
