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NHA Position Paper. Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. November 2005
NATIONAL HEART ALLIANCE
Position Paper
on
Marketing of Unhealthy Foods to Children
November 2005
Members supporting this position paper:
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ASH Ireland
Association of Health Promotion Ireland
Centre for Sports Science & Health, Dublin City University
Dental Health Foundation
Dept of Nursing & Health Sciences, Athlone Institute of Technology
Dept of Physical Education & Sports Science, University of Limerick
Dept of Preventative Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital
Diabetes Federation of Ireland
European Institute of Women’s Health
Food Safety Authority
Food Safety Promotion Board
Health Promoting Hospitals Network
HSE Eastern Area
HSE Midlands Area
HSE North Eastern Area
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NHA Position Paper. Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. November 2005
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HSE Northern Area
HSE North West
HSE South Eastern Area
HSE Western Area
Institute of Community Health Nursing
Institute of Public Health
Irish Cancer Society
Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Irish Heart Foundation
Irish Nurses Organisation
Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute
Irish Sports Council
Joint Managerial Body of Secondary Schools
National Sudden Infant Death Register
National Youth Council of Ireland
Programme of Action for Children
School of Biological Science, Dublin Institute of Technology
Social Personal and Health Education Curriculum
Other Supporting Organisations
 Barnardos
 Children’s Rights Alliance
 Irish National Teacher’s Organisation
 Rollercoaster.ie – The Parenting Website
The National Heart Alliance (NHA) wishes to extend their thanks to the sub-committee of the NHA
who developed this paper in consultation with members:
Margot Brennan; Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute
Dr Muireann Cullen; Food Safety Authority of Ireland
Yvonne Kelly; Irish Heart Foundation
Janis Morrissey; Irish Heart Foundation
Maureen Mulvihill; Irish Heart Foundation
Dr Geraldine Quinn; Food Safety Promotion Board
National Heart Alliance Coordinator; Marie-Claire Cassidy, c/o Irish Heart Foundation,
4 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.email: [email protected] tel. 01 668 5001
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NHA Position Paper. Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. November 2005
This paper has been prepared by the National Heart Alliance (NHA), in
conjunction with a report on the evidence, scale and nature of the marketing
of unhealthy foods to children, aged four to 18 years, entitled The Marketing
of Unhealthy Food to Children in Europe Ref1, published by the European
Heart Network.
The European reporta demonstrates that children are exposed to the
marketingb of unhealthy foods on a massive scale and stresses the need to
protect them from such marketing as an important measure to address one
critical influence on childhood obesity.
This paper assumes that some foods - typically found on the top shelf of the
Food Pyramid - are more likely to contribute to unhealthy diets than others
and for convenience these are described as ‘unhealthy’ foods throughout the
paper, consistent with the findings of the European report. An alternative
qualification would be foods that are high in saturated fat, sugar and salt but
besides being more cumbersome this does not convey all that is considered
unhealthy.
Food marketing is just one of the influences to be considered in relation to
increasing levels of obesity among children. Comprehensive strategies to
combat obesity in children need to address all the causes of obesity, including
measures to encourage them to be more physically active. While more
evidence about the effectiveness of different policies would undoubtedly be
helpful, it is generally agreed that action to address the problem of obesity in
children is urgently needed.
The Alliance has identified specific recommendations and actions to address
these issues and indicates below which sectors or government departments
are best placed to take on board these recommendations.
National Heart Alliance Recommendationsc:
Media
The NHA acknowledges that the Children’s Advertising Code of the
Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI), is a positive first step to provide
some restrictions on advertising to children. The NHA believes, however, that
the BCI code:
a
The European Report reflects the evidence and current trends across 20 countries in
Europe including Ireland.
b
The report looked primarily at the promotional side of marketing, such as, advertising,
sponsorship and incentives but also product placement, location and products in vending
machines.
c
Any of these recommendations if implemented in isolation will not have significant impact,
nor are any of the following areas specifically the cause of the problem.
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NHA Position Paper. Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. November 2005
o continues to expose children to the marketing of foods high in fat
(specifically saturated and trans fats), sugar and salt;
o does not take into account the cumulative effect of advertising on
children;
o and does not limit the number of food advertisements per segment
or per day.
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It is recognised that the BCI’s proposed evaluation would provide an
important opportunity to address the limitations of the code identified
above.
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The BCI code should prohibit television advertising of unhealthy foods to
children.
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The BCI code covers only one source of advertising - terrestrial
broadcasting - and a comprehensive set of protective measures is needed
across all media. The NHA calls on the Government to introduce
additional measures to protect children from all other forms of food
marketing, including through schools and the Internet as well as other
media - even though these are minor outlets, currently, compared to
television.
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Cable and satellite television undermine the impact of restrictions under
the BCI code. The NHA calls on the Government, EU and other relevant
bodies to ensure that the “Television Without Frontiers” Directive is
amended to prohibit television advertising of ‘unhealthy’ food to children
and to support meaningful national measures.
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Stronger and more consistent counterbalancing is needed in the
advertising of healthy foods directed at children. The Government and
relevant statutory bodies need to support the promotion of a healthy diet,
for example the consumption of fruit and vegetables.
Government
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The national nutrition policy being developed by the Department of Health
and Children should provide consistent evidence-based guidelines to
health professionals, parents and carers to protect the health of children.
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The Government should support work at European level to:
o restrict the claims by some food manufacturers regarding the
nutritional profile of their foods, especially those high in fat, salt and
sugar. Claims concerning the benefits of certain products may lead
consumers to eat too much of something that should make up only
a small part of a good diet.
o agree a common definition of unhealthy foods.
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In the context of healthy lifestyles for children, all Government
Departments have a role to play as outlined in the National Task Force on
Obesity report launched in May 2005.
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NHA Position Paper. Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. November 2005
Home
 Parents need to review and supervise their children’s televsion viewing
time. An Irish study showed that 68% of parents do not always supervise
their 1st class children’s viewing. Ref 2
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Parents need to be aware of the marketing strategies that impact in the
home through television, the Internet, texting and product packaging.
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Parents have responsibility for dietary patterns in the home. Therefore the
home is a critical influence on children’s dietary patterns.Ref 3 Parents,
carers and guardians need support from the Department of Health and
Children, the Health Service Executive (HSE), and the Department of
Education and Science, as well as other statutory and voluntary bodies on
guidance for implementing healthy dietary patterns in the home.
Pre-schools, schools and the non-formal education sector
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The school environment needs to be guided by a health food policy which:
o ensures that healthy food and snacksd are provided in schools, for
example, meals, tuck shops and vending machines; e
o considers healthy food advertising and sponsorship in the school
and for school related projects and facilities;
o ensures comprehensive education for pupils, teachers and parents
on healthy food choices;
o ensures implementation of the Food and Nutrition Guidelines now
available for pre-school and primary schools.
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Education and practical skills should be provided in primary and postprimary schools and non-formal education sector that will encourage and
enable children to eat a healthy diet, with a solid understanding of the
Food Pyramid.
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The NHA calls on the Department of Education and Science to take the
lead in these areas. NHA member organisations will work to support
schools and the education of young people where appropriate.
d
Snacks are food that do not form part of the main diet and are not meal replacements.
e
A voluntary code on the provision of vending machines exists at primary school level only.
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NHA Position Paper. Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. November 2005
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Young people need to be appropriately equipped to deal effectively with
conflicting messages in a multimedia world. Additional resources need to
be developed to support the appropriate strand of Social and Personal
Health Education (SPHE)f, as well as educating young people through
other avenues, for example youth clubs.
Child healthcare services – hospitals and residential facilities
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The healthcare environment needs to be guided by a food policy, which:
o ensures that healthy food and snack options are provided and
offered in hospital and residential facilities;
o healthy food and snacksd are available in hospital shops and
vending machines;
o considers healthy food advertising and supports the reduction of
vending machines that do not offer healthy options;
o integrates an educational component into treatment services for
patients and parents on healthy food choices;
o and implements the national healthy catering guidelines now
available for health service organisations.
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The NHA calls on the Department of Health and Children to take the lead
on this with the HSE. NHA members will work within their own
organisations to support child healthcare services in the development of
an effective healthy food policy.
Retail Sector
The retail sector, which has a role in dertermining placement of product,
should implement a code of practice to control placement of unhealthy foods
at toddler and child level.
Monitoring and data collection
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In order to inform policy makers, effective structures and procedures
should be established to monitor the nature and extent of food marketing
to children and its regulation in Ireland and all countries throughout
Europe.
Research and information is specifically required on the impact of
advertising on children across age, gender and social class.
SPHE is implemented in primary schools as part of the ‘Myself and the Wider World’ strand,
and at junior cycle in secondary schools as part of the module on ‘Influences and Decisions’.
SPHE is currently being developed for senior cycle. Media literacy can also be addressed as
part of the junior cycle English curriculum.
f
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NHA Position Paper. Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. November 2005
Summary of Report:
The marketing of unhealthy food to children in Europe
published by the European Heart Network, 2005
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Most of the food marketed to children is regarded, by those concerned
with public health, as ‘unhealthy’g, that is, high in fat, particularly saturated
fat and trans fats, sugar or salt; and low in essential minerals, vitamins and
other components important for a healthy diet.
In Ireland
o A study by the Green Party in September 2002 showed that 54% of
all advertisements targeted at children were for foods high in salt,
fat, sugar or a combination of one or more of these. Many other
countries have shown that this figure can be as high as 95%.
o As regards public opinion, a recent survey by the Southern Area of
the HSE showed that 75% of parents considered television food
advertisements to children usually promote unhealthy foods.
o In 2004 a national survey, conducted by Safefood Consumer
Tracking Research showed that 56% of parents were concerned
with the advertising of foods to children.
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Most of the money spent on marketing is for television advertisements.
There are signs that advertising budgets spent on television may be
declining slightly, with small but rising proportions being diverted into
schools or via the Internet.
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A variety of creative marketing strategies are used to promote foods to
children. These include linking food products with both children’s heroes
and cartoon characters from films and books; and linking food products
with children’s products/toys.
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Spending on media such as magazines, radio, cinema, mobile phones and
outdoor advertising is normally a small proportion of total food marketing
budgets. However, along with television, schools and the Internet, these
media form part of a sophisticated and integrated mix of marketing
techniques used by companies to sell their products.
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Schools represent a growing marketing channel for food advertisers.
Strategies include sponsoring events, linking food product purchasing to
An ongoing debate exists as to whether a food can be described as “healthy”. Some health
professional contend that there is no such thing as healthy or unhealthy food, only healthy
and unhealthy diets. This report assumes that some foods are more likely to contribute to
unhealthy diets than others and for convenience these are descibed as “unhealthy” foods
throughout the report. An alternative term, for example, is a food that is high in fat, sugar or
salt, but besides being more cumbersome does not convey all that is conveyed by
“unhealthy”.
g
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NHA Position Paper. Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. November 2005
the provision of educational or sporting equipment - often involving token
collection schemes - and selling unhealthy food and drink products in
vending machines.
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The Internet is also a growing medium for food advertisers. Advertisers
have discovered that the addictive quality of web-surfing is of advantage to
them.
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Regulation of marketing to children mainly relates to television advertising
and since January 2005 Ireland has a statutory code on broadcast
advertising to children. However, the report noted that such efforts are
undermined by advertisements on cable and satellite television broadcast
from other countries, and by other forms of marketing. This has been the
experience in Norway and Sweden where there is a ban on television
advertisements to children.
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Those concerned with children’s health and well being – health and
consumer bodies as well as citizens’ organisations – tend to argue that
unhealthy food marketing to children is one of the significant contributors
to childhood obesity, among other things. The protection of children from
such influences is often proposed as a key measure in any child health
programme.
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Food and media industries throughout Europe tend to vigorously defend
their commercial interests, attempting to weaken tough regulations –
where these exist – and resisting efforts to introduce or strengthen
measures designed to protect children from marketing.
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Despite the lack of agreement over what should be done about unhealthy
food marketing to children, there are some areas of consensus,
particularly concerning the importance of education.
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The Treaty of the European Union provides a legal basis allowing inclusion
of health protection in European policies. In theory, there should be no
difficulty in extending these principles to ensure that the health of all
children in Europe – not just some – is adequately protected, including the
prohibition of unhealthy food marketing. This demonstrates that a
European-wide approach is necessary.
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Any future plans to protect children throughout the European Union from
such marketing will need a common EU definition of unhealthy food.
Development of a common definition is in any event necessary in view of
the current development of EU legislation on nutrition and health claims
and a forthcoming review of the EU’s nutrition labelling Directive.
Summary of Irish Data
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NHA Position Paper. Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. November 2005
Attitudes towards food marketing to children
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In the southern region, 75% of parents considered that television food
advertisements to children usually promote unhealthy foods. Ref 4
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92% of principals surveyed through their website did not agree with
product promotion in schools.Ref 5
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A national survey showed that 56% of respondents are concerned about
advertising to children.Ref 6
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A parenting website survey found that nine out of ten parents believe their
children are being misled by television advertising.Ref 7
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75% of mothers polled on ‘MOMS’ website would like to see limitations
placed on the advertising of fast foods and snacks to children.Ref 8
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Stop Advertising to Children, STAC, is an alliance, which independently
monitors and encourages the BCI’s code on advertising targeted at
children. STAC fears emasculation of proposed child advertising code.
References:
1) Matthews, Cowburn, Raynor, Longfield & Powell, 2005, The Marketing of Unhealthy
Food to Children in Europe. www.ehnheart.org
2) Department of Health, HSE Southern Area, 2005 Our Children, their future, why
weight? www.hse.ie
3) Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (2005) National Children’s Food Survey
www.iuna.net
4) Department of Health, HSE Southern Area, 2005 Our Children, their future, why
weight? www.hse.ie
5) IPPN, 2004, Irish Primary Principals’ Network Obesity Survey Results, www.ippn.ie
6) Safefood – It’s in Your Hands, Consumer Tracking Research, Safetrack 2, 2004,
www.safefoodonline.com
7) Rollercoaster.ie, TV Advertising survey results, March 2004, www.rollercoaster.ie
8) Amárach/Edelman MOMS Ireland Survey, Mothers Opinions Mean Something, 2004
www.amarach.com
Ref 4
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