Our children and youth are our future.
As a parent and Registered Dietitian, I am trying my best to raise my son to be able to make good choices, especially when it comes to food. As a Registered Dietitian, I know the importance of healthy food for the mind, body and soul. However, I also am very aware of food marketing. Walking though the grocery store I see cartoon characters on cereal, fruit snacks, crackers or cookies. When I turn on the TV I see ads for fast foods directed towards our little ones. The internet and social media channels are full of food marketing for fast foods and sugar laden drinks. We are being bombarded – and so are our children. My little one is young enough right now to not have seen these marketing tactics, but I worry for his future. There is only so much I can do to protect him.
A recent study found that while children and youth are on the internet, 90% of food ads are for highly processed food and drinks (Heart and Stroke Foundation, 2017). This is a big business – a 1.8 billion-dollar a year business to be exact (Grow H.M., Schwartz M.B. (2014). A business that knows what they are doing – they are targeting our children and youth. A recent article from the BMJ uncovered information how the tobacco industry applied their tactics used to hook young people to cigarettes to sugar sweetened beverages promotion. In the early 1960’s, Big Tobacco companies bought many sugar sweetened beverage companies and changed their focus from marketing to housewives to marketing to children and youth (Nguyen K.H, Glantz S.A., Palmer C.N., Schmidt L.A., 2019). The Kool-Aid man and Punchy, the mascot for Hawaiian punch, were born – and there was no looking back.
Why are our children and youth particularly vulnerable? The Heart and Stroke Foundation (2017) describes that young children are vulnerable to marketing because they have not yet reached the stage of mental development where they are able to distinguish between marketing, entertainment and reality. They are also unable to assess the long-term health risks associated with eating unhealthy products.
Does the leaping leprechaun or movie star promoting the latest pop really harm our children and youth though? Or are they all just fun ads? Health Canada notes that food advertising is a factor that has major impact on food choices (Health Canada, 2019).
Children who viewed fast food advertisement are 50% more likely to eat fast food (Taveras et al, 2006).
Research also finds that food marketing is associated with increased consumption of fast foods and unhealthy food and beverages containing high levels of fat, sodium and sugars. These are the foods are connected to obesity, and we have an obesity epidemic in Canada. The prevalence of obesity among Canadian children and youth has increased by 102% from 1978 to 2004 (Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2013). Obesity is linked with many chronic diseases and obesity in children and youth is a predictor for obesity in adulthood. This is our future.
With technology the way it is, it seems almost impossible to find ways to decrease food marketing. Besides parents monitoring internet use or tv watching, what else can be done?
Canada can learn from one of its own provinces. Quebec. In 1980, Quebec banned unhealthy food marketing to kids, and it is paying off.
With the Quebec advertising ban, fast food consumption is estimated to be reduced by 13% . With this, 16.8 million fewer fast food meals are sold in the province (Dhar, T., & BAYLIS, K. 2011). Quebec also has the lowest rates of obesity among 6-11 year olds and the highest fruit and vegetable consumption rate in Canada (Heart and Stroke Foundation, 2017). How can Canada as a nation follow in Quebec’s footsteps? Bill – S228 was introduced in September 2016 with a goal to ban food marking to kids. However, it is still awaiting final approval and has had some significant changes that only hurt our youth and could help the industry. Originally the proposed age was under 17, however it has been changed to under 13 and there have been numerous delays in the bill passing which has been influenced by industry. Grow H.M., Schwartz M.B (2014) argue that youth are uniquely vulnerable, and arguably more influenced by ads compared to young children because of their psychological state of development.
Our nation has taken some strides to combat the food industry. Canada’s new food guide was recently released, with no influence from the food industry for the first time. Being aware of food marketing is also part of the food guide. I commend the government for not including the food industry when making the new food guide and making food marketing a priority on the food guide, however, with a new federal election in the near future, there are concerns that the delays to Bill – S22 will result in it not getting passed. Our politicians have an opportunity to help one of the most vulnerable populations when it comes to food marketing. I hope to see this bill passed soon, and not left in the dust, or should I say, pile of sugar from the food marketing giants.
References
Dhar, T., & Baylis, K. (2011). Fast-Food Consumption and the Ban on Advertising Targeting
Children: The Quebec Experience. Journal of Marketing Research, 48(5), 799-813. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23033520
Grow H.M., Schwartz M.B. (2014). Food Marketing to Youth: Serious Business. JAMA,
312(18):1918–1919. Retrieved from doi:10.1001/jama.2014.8951
Health Canada (2019). Restricting advertising of certain foods to children under 13 years of age.
Retrieved on March 22, 2019 from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/marketing-health-claims/restricting-advertising-children.html
Heart and Stroke Foundation. (2017, May). Protecting Our Children’s Health: Restricting Food and
Beverage Marketing. Retrieved from https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/2017-position-statements/protectingourchildrenshealthrestrictingmarketingtochildren.ashx?la=en&hash=B8D7FF2261A612E14A79BA005AE103061E80D156
Nguyen K.H, Glantz S.A., Palmer C.N., Schmidt L.A. (2019). Tobacco industry involvement in
children’s sugary drinks market BMJ, 364 :l736. Retrieved from doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l736
Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario) (2013). Addressing
obesity in children and youth: evidence to guide action for Ontario. Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/addressing-child-obesity.pdf?la=en
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