Restricting unhealthy food and beverage marketing to children has been recognised by the World Health Organization as an important area for action in the prevention of obesity.
Reviews have found that children are not fully aware of the persuasive intent of food marketing and that food marketing influences the food preferences of children, generate positive beliefs about the foods advertised, influences purchase requests of children, and influences children’s food consumption.
Research on food marketing to children from Australia has focused primarily on measuring exposure to television food advertising. This research has consistently shown that children are exposed to high levels of unhealthy food advertisements on television.
Cancer Council recommends that Government develop specific food marketing regulations which restrict the marketing to children of unhealthy food and beverage, determined using nutrient profiling, across all media.
Importantly, any regulatory system must reflect children’s media use, including the broadcast periods when the highest numbers of children are watching or using media, and the types of persuasive marketing techniques used to target children.