Children Saturated With Unhealthy Food Ads

A new report today published by the National Food Alliance claims that children are exposed to three or four times as much advertising for fatty, sugary and salty foods as adults.

7 out of 10 ads during Children’s ITV are for food compared to only 2 out of 10 during programmes aimed at adults. Advertising for “fatty and sugary” foods accounts for 44-76% of all food advertising, despite government guidelines that these foods should take up no more than 7% of our diet. Out of 549 food adverts monitored in the survey only 2 were for fruit or vegetables.

The report also calls for the ITC to consider the cumulative effect of advertising when it draws up its codes of practice; for the government to prohibit ads for fatty and sugary foods when a large proportion of the audience are likely to be children, and for the government to encourage promotion of healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Sue Dibb, the Food Advertising Project Officer said, “The foods we should eat least are the most highly advertised while the foods we should eat most are the least advertised.” The report was first carried out two years ago and the balance of responsible food advertising to children has not improved.

The report also says that young children are not fully capable of understanding the purpose of advertising, and questions if it is morally right to advertise to children too young to understand its purpose; Norway and Sweden do not permit advertising aimed at children under 12 and Australia and Ireland prohibit advertising during programmes for under-5s.

Easy to Swallow, Hard to Stomach is available from the NFA price £25.

Andrea Castell/Sue Gibb NFA: 0171 628 2442