Agenda item

10.1

The Board received a report of the Director of Public Health concerning the Commercial Determinants of Health.

10.2

Amanda Pickard, Acting Public Health Principal and Magdalena Boo, Health Improvement Principal, presented the report which focussed on the negative aspects of unhealthy commodities, such as high fat, salt or sugar foods, and the impacts on people’s health and non-communicable diseases.

10.3

The Board discussed how it would wish to look at this issue, which concerned multinational corporations and involved being skilful about changing the choice environment and working as partners to address it. The consensus was that the Board wished to strongly pursue this issue . The cost impact of health conditions in the longer term also needed to be looked at, together with the role of prevention. A clear communication strategy was also required.

10.4

The Board agreed the following:

1.    That Sheffield develops a Commercial Determinants of Health / Unhealthy Commodity Industry (UCI) approach/guidance;

2.    A Conflict of Interest Policy particularly in relation to commercial influence/involvement in education.

3.    That we have a structured “Public Health Playbook” to counter the Industry Playbook;

4.    Advocate caps and limits on exposure in certain settings and locations e.g. zero limit in certain areas and sensitive location, sensitive receptors e.g. schools, hospitals, addiction services;

5.    That we use our existing powers as a Local Authority to address the negative impact Unhealthy Commodity Industries have on local residents, namely that we adopt the following.

-   Advertising and sponsorship policy to limit exposure to Unhealthy Commodity Industries,

-   Cumulative Impact Policy for alcohol and the night time economy (NTE) strategy through Licensing,

-   Use planning powers and the Local Plan to restrict density and proliferation of high fat salt sugar foods, tobacco, alcohol, gambling;

-   Use our powers of regulation, for example Trading Standards age regulation to reduce avoidable exposure and harms (this list is not exhaustive);

-   Advocate caps and limits on exposure in certain settings and locations e.g. zero limit in certain areas and sensitive location, sensitive receptors e.g. schools, hospitals, addiction services.