Soy milk and rice cakes banned from SA Government ads in new ‘junk food’ crackdown

One Australian state has officially labelled fortified soy milk and rice cakes as “junk food” as part of a controversial ad ban that also targeted ham sandwiches.

The South Australian Government has come under fire after officially banning advertisements for fortified soy milk and rice cakes on public transport, labelling the household staples as “junk food”.

The policy, which came into effect today, prevents a wide range of food and drink products from being advertised on state-owned assets.

While intended as a public health initiative, the inclusion of products often seen as healthy alternatives, such as soy milk and rice cakes, and even ham salad sandwiches has triggered widespread confusion.

Rice cakes didn’t escape the state’s ‘junk food’ ad ban.

Fortified soy milk is a plant-based beverage made from soybeans that has been enriched with essential nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.

One of the country’s most well-known fortified soy milk brands, So Good, has all its soy milk varieties rated five stars under the Health Star Rating system.

Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) CEO Josh Faulks said the decision has left both industry and consumers baffled and called for a more science-based, objective framework.

“We fully support measures that encourage healthier choices, but the implementation of these policies must be based on credible, evidence-based criteria,” Mr Faulks said.

“The government has not been able to clearly articulate what is in and what is out of their banned list and has told businesses to submit their ads to an expert panel for assessment if they are unsure.

“This list should be science-based, objective and create certainty for business, not create more confusion.”

Fortified soy milk is a plant-based beverage made from soybeans that has been enriched with essential nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.

He warned the policy could backfire by sending “a contradictory message to consumers” and undermining trust in health-based campaigns.

“The government is effectively discouraging people from consuming what are widely considered to be nutritious core foods,” he said.

To address the growing uncertainty, the AANA has urged the South Australian Government to adopt the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criteria developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), an independent federal agency that guides national food standards.

The agency’s criteria are already used to inform food labelling and health claims across all Australian states and territories.

Mr Faulks also raised concerns about the policy’s potential economic fallout.

“The oat and almond farmers in South Australia may be surprised to know that their government wants people to drink less oat and almond milk,” he said.

“The official policy objective is to drive down purchase and consumption of these products.”

Originally published as Soy milk and rice cakes banned from SA Government ads in new ‘junk food’ crackdown