Amsterdam is set to become the first capital city in the world to ban all public advertising for meat products – a move aimed at reducing consumption and helping to tackle the climate crisis. In practical terms, this means the removal of images of fast-food burgers, chicken nuggets and other meat products from billboards, bus shelters and other public spaces across the city from 1 May.
The proposal was jointly introduced by GroenLinks (GreenLeft) and the Partij voor de Dieren (Party for the Animals), and was approved by 27 of the 45 members of Amsterdam’s municipal council in a vote on 22 January.
The move supports Amsterdam’s recent endorsement of the Plant Based Treaty, including a commitment to increase the share of plant-based protein in residents’ diets from 40% to 60% by 2030 and follows similar actions in other parts of the Netherlands.
Haarlem became the first city in the world to restrict public meat advertising in 2022, while Utrecht and Zwolle have banned adverts for both meat and fossil fuels. Other cities, including Nijmegen, The Hague and Delft have taken comparable steps, and Gouda and Nijmegen were early adopters of Meat Free Monday.
“We know that most of the carbon emissions in the food system comes from meat production so it makes sense for Amsterdam to restrict the advertising of meat as part of its strategy to promote food system change,” said Joey Cramer, Director of ProVeg Netherlands.