Dietitians of Canada

Advertising of food and beverages to children

Background

Studies show that the foods children eat and ask their parents to buy can be influenced by advertising. Food ads are often for products that are high in calories, fat, sugar and salt. Advertising of "unhealthy" foods has not been proven to have a direct impact on childhood obesity. However, it may be one of the many factors that contribute to poor food choices and potentially lead to excess weight gain.

Position

There is enough evidence to support the need for an integrated, multi-sectoral approach to reduce the negative effect of advertising "unhealthy" food and beverages on children. We recommend that:

• Even though food companies voluntarily self-regulate their ads, this may not be enough to reduce the negative impact on children’s food choices.
• Science-based standards for 'healthy' and 'less healthy' foods and beverages should be established. This work should be led by the federal government with input from other parties.
• TV ads are not the only ads that children see. Restrictions should apply to all advertising in all settings where children normally gather. These include product placements, sponsorships, advergaming, cartoon characters and marketing in schools.
• Ads for 'healthy' foods and beverages should be encouraged. Some research has shown that this may have positive effects on preferences for these products.

Actions

• We have published a position paper - Advertising of Food and Beverages to Children – released it to the media and shared it widely with other health professional ands and consumer groups and federal and provincial governments.
• We have written to the Ministry of Health and made a presentation to the Minister’s senior policy advisors (June 2010) in conjunction with the Canadian Public Health Association to share our concerns on this issue.