The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) is urging the South Australian Government to reconsider its impending ban on food and drink advertising on government assets, set to take effect from 1 July 2025.

The marketing industry body is advocating for the use of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) nutrient profiling scoring criteria as an alternative to the proposed blanket ban.

AANA CEO Josh Faulks has criticised the policy for its broad restrictions, which he argues do not align with nutritional science. "As it stands, this policy bans all processed meats, which means a simple ham salad sandwich can't be advertised," Faulks said. "This simply doesn't make sense, and the government should be making evidence-based decisions, not blanket bans that don't align with nutritional science."

The current policy categorises fortified soy milk as a sugar-sweetened beverage, while allowing jam but banning rice cakes. The AANA argues that such inconsistencies create confusion and unfairly restrict brands that comply with healthy eating guidelines. "We fully support measures that encourage healthy eating, but this policy fails to distinguish between everyday foods and discretionary items, creating confusion and unfairly restricting brands that are doing the right thing from communicating with consumers," Faulks said.

The AANA also highlights the potential economic impact of the policy, suggesting it could lead to a significant loss of advertising revenue for South Australia's public transport network. The policy's reach extends beyond the food and beverage industry, affecting businesses such as children's charities and events like Tasting Australia.

Faulks explained: "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. 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."