LONDON ¨C Billboards advertising junk food from vendors like McDonald¡¯s Corp. might be banned from London¡¯s Underground rail and bus network under new plans announced by the city¡¯s mayor, as part of his efforts to tackle rising levels of childhood obesity.
Sadiq Khan, elected mayor of London in 2016, said in a statement that he wanted to reduce the influence and pressure put on children and families to make unhealthy choices. Nearly 40 percent of 10-11 year-olds in the capital are overweight or obese, one of the highest rates in Europe, the mayor¡¯s office said.
A large percentage of the advertising that would be affected comes from ¡°a handful¡± of major companies and brands, a Transport for London (TfL) spokesman wrote in an email. A spokeswoman for McDonald¡¯s, whose advertisements are a regular fixture at London Underground stations, said the company shares the mayor¡¯s ambition to reduce childhood obesity.
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