Voluntary codes may not sufficiently reduce the
advertising of foods
In response to increasing evidence that advertising of
foods and beverages affects children’s
food choices and food intake, several national governments and many of the
world’s larger food and beverage manufacturers have acted to restrict the marketing
of their products to children or to advertise only ‘better for you’ products or
‘healthier dietary choices’ to children. Independent assessment of the impact
of these pledges has been difficult due to the different criteria being used in
regulatory and self-regulatory regimes.
In this study, we undertook a systematic review to
examine the data available on levels of exposure of children to the advertising
of less healthy foods since the introduction of the statutory and voluntary
codes. The results indicate a sharp division in the evidence, with scientific,
peer-reviewed papers showing that high levels of such advertising of less healthy
foods continue to be found in several different countries worldwide.
In contrast,
the evidence provided in industry-sponsored reports indicates a remarkably high
adherence to voluntary codes. We conclude that adherence to voluntary codes may
not sufficiently reduce the advertising of foods which undermine healthy diets,
or reduce children’s exposure to this advertising.
Source: S. Galbraith-Emami and T. Lobstein, Obesity
Reviews, May 2013
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