Category: International news
Positive changes to the rules on what can be advertised on Transport for London (TfL) services have resulted in weekly household purchases of unhealthy foods dropping by 1,000 kcal. Introduction of restrictions In February 2019, restrictions on the outdoor advertising of unhealthy foods and drinks across the TfL network were implemented. This included the London […]
The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund have released a policy brief on options to increase the protection of children from the impact of food marketing. This brief adds to the already large number of publications produced by WHO that build on the evidence base. What should policy look like? The brief […]
Government U-turn Health campaigners have called the stalling of measures in the UK to tackle childhood obesity as a government U-turn. The restrictions banning paid-for advertisements for unhealthy food online and unhealthy food advertisements on TV before 9pm were recently passed under the Health and Care Act 2022. However the government is delaying the implementation […]
Early results suggest Chilean food marketing policy is reducing children’s exposure to junk food ads. In 2016, Chile introduced a policy to restrict child-directed marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages. A study has looked at 12-14 year old’s exposure to ads that were high in energy, total sugars, sodium, or saturated fat and their consumption of unhealthy foods before and after the policy implementation. It found that the policy has reduced […]
Most Australian high school students see food or drink advertising on social media at least weekly and those students are more likely to have a high intake of unhealthy food. In this Cancer Council funded National Secondary Student Diet and Activity survey, students who reported seeing a food or drink advertisement on social media at least weekly – about a quarter of students – were even more likely to have a higher intake […]
Toy giveaways are synonymous with kids’ fast food meals. US industry codes say that toys and other giveaways will not be the main feature of any ads. A US study found that in TV ads promoting kids’ fast food meals, the giveaways featured more heavily —in terms of words and visual airtime—than the food itself. This contradicts the industry codes and shows that industry codes have no impact, particularly when their compliance isn’t monitored or enforced. In Australia, the same code on marketing to children […]
Chile is one of the few nations to have taken strong action to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food advertising. In June 2016, Chile became a world leader in anti-obesity regulation, enacting laws that address three key areas – front of pack labelling, advertising to children and sale of unhealthy foods in children’s settings. The […]