Petition to restrict unhealthy food sponsorship at Scottish sporting events

We submitted a letter to the CEO of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Company, outlining the main asks for our petition. 

The petition outlined actions to:

1. Ensure the event is free from sponsorship by high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) food and drink companies, building on good practices such as from FIFA’s Event Policy on Tobacco which bans sponsorship and advertising by all tobacco products or e-cigarettes, and the Évin’s Law from France which bans all alcohol sponsorship in sports and cultural events 

2. Adopt a child-rights approach to restrict HFSS food and drink advertising and marketing within and around sports venues, as per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing.

3. Promote affordable, sustainable and healthy food options and prohibit HFSS food outlets at and near sporting venues, mirroring the smoking regulations established during the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. Such an initiative will promote a junk food-free environment that families can visit with children. 

4. Free any media promotions of sporting events from HFSS food and drink advertising. Australia that was to initially host the 2026 Games has a comprehensive legislative approach that removed tobacco advertising at sporting events from television and most media platforms, and advocacy for similar initiatives across health harming products at the event was gathering momentum.

5. Ensure sports persons do not endorse any HFSS food brand elements. In research from the UK, 78% of parents indicate that children prefer food brands associated with their favourite sports players and teams. Positive action in Scotland should build on football teams like Glasgow City FC signing in support of SHAAP’s calling time campaign to end alcohol sponsorship and marketing in sports.

To read more on the effects of sports marketing please consult our advertising briefing here.