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Brands off our kids! Four actions for a childhood free from unhealthy food marketing
Obesity Policy Coalition Brands off our kids!
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Brands off our kids!
Four actions for a childhood free from unhealthy food marketing
Obesity Policy Coalition Brands off our kids!
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The Obesity Policy Coalition is a partnership between Cancer Council Victoria, Diabetes Victoria, VicHealth, and the Global Obesity Centre at Deakin University, a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention.
The Obesity Policy Coalition advocates for evidence informed policy and regulatory change to address overweight, obesity and unhealthy diets in Australia, particularly among children.
Acknowledgements
The Obesity Policy Coalition is grateful for the assistance of its coalition partners in the preparation of this report.
We would like to acknowledge our working group who provided valuable input into the development of this report:
Associate Professor Kathryn Backholer, Global Obesity Centre, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University
Associate Professor Nicholas Carah, School of Communication and Arts, The University of Queensland
Ms Jane Potter, VicHealth
Ms Alice Pryor, Parents’ Voice
Ms Wendy L Watson, Cancer Council NSW
Suggested citation
Hickey K, Schmidtke A, Martin J Brands off our kids! Four actions for a childhood free from unhealthy food marketing. Obesity Policy Coalition, Melbourne, 2021.
opc.org.au
March 2021
OPC partners
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We all want our children to enjoy a bright, happy and healthy future Every child should be able to play, learn and live in a world that supports and promotes their wellbeing. Raising our children in an environment with positive messages that promote healthy lives is important because childhood sets the foundation of future learning, behaviour and health, shaping how children think about food and healthy living.
It’s important that children get the right message – one that promotes their health and wellbeing by promoting delicious, healthy food, setting them up for a healthy future.
That is not the case right now, what is promoted to our children is quite the opposite. The processed foodi industry spends millions of dollars every year targeting Australian children with marketingii for unhealthy food in every aspect of their lives, with increasing sophistication.
Food companies and fast-food chains craft campaigns to ensure unhealthy food brands are present in children’s lives from a young age, building powerful brand awareness and normalising unhealthy food, grooming them to be loyal customers for life. But as big food companies make more and more profit as a result, it is our children’s health that is at risk, now and into the future.
Our children cannot escape unhealthy food marketing – it is everywhere, acting as wallpaper in their lives. Children should be able to go to school without a soft drink company putting a billboard at the bus stop, to watch a video online or a TV show without first seeing an ad for a burger chain and to go to their favourite sporting game without a fast food chain paying to cover the stadium with their unhealthy brand.
Our children cannot escape unhealthy food marketing - it is everywhere, acting as wallpaper in their lives.
i Any reference to ‘food’ includes food and drinks. See page 11 for details.ii The term marketing refers to any activity that promotes a product, organisation or brand. See page 11 for details.
How does the processed food industry target children? Processed food companies have become increasingly sophisticated in the way they target children with unhealthy food marketing.
Some of the tactics include:
On TV
• Paying for advertising during TV shows that are popular with children
• Paying for their products to be used in popular shows
Designing marketing that directly targets children
• Putting cartoons on unhealthy food packaging
• Giving away free toys with unhealthy meals
• Running competitions with prizes that children want
• Sponsoring children’s sport, to associate their unhealthy food with healthy activities
Putting advertising where children are guaranteed to see it
• Soft drink billboards on public transport
• Fast food advertising at sporting events, including professional football and cricket games
Online
• Designing branded games and apps for young children
• Paying influencers popular with children to promote unhealthy products on social media
• Designing their own content on social media that children can engage with and share with friends
• Running ad campaigns on social media that appear when children are online
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Government must take responsibility for protecting children from unhealthy food marketing
Our community expects government to take action to prioritise children’s health above the profits of the processed food industry.
Currently, Australian governments have no formal standards that protect children from unhealthy food marketing. Instead, the processed food and advertising industries have been allowed to design their own codes for how they market unhealthy food to children.1 Unsurprisingly, the codes they have developed only apply in limited circumstances and make no attempt to stop the unhealthy food marketing that children see.
It is no surprise that rules designed by the processed food and advertising industries don’t work. In countries where governments fail to take responsibility for protecting children from unhealthy food marketing, the processed food industry takes advantage and continues to push their products on children.2 This is because their priority is maximising profits, even when this comes at the expense of children’s health. It is the responsibility of government to step in and impose higher standards on these companies to protect all children.
Our community doesn’t agree.
7 out of 10 Australian adults want government to step in to protect children from unhealthy food marketing.6
The processed food and advertising industries say:
7 out of 10
High sugar cereals, including Froot Loops and Coco Pops, are healthier choices that can be advertised to children3
It’s OK to show children lots of ads for fast food and soft drinks during family TV shows and live sport, as adults watch too4
It’s OK to design games for young children to build awareness of their unhealthy brands5
Four actions for a childhood free from unhealthy food marketingThe need and support for urgent government action is clear. Four actions will protect all Australian children from the processed food industry’s unhealthy food marketing.
Action 1 Ensure TV, radio and cinemas are free from unhealthy food marketing from 6am to 9.30pm
Children should be able to watch their favourite TV programs, listen to the radio and go to the movies without exposure to unhealthy food marketing.
A time-based restriction is essential because we know the times when there are high numbers of children watching and listening, and this includes evening prime time and live sports broadcasts.
This must also apply to online and digital forms of television, movies, radio and music.
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The processed food industry shows
three ads for unhealthy food
every hour during children’s peak TV viewing times7
73% of Australians agree the government should stop unhealthy food marketing on TV
at times children are watching8
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Action 2 Prevent processed food companies from targeting children
To ensure children can go about their daily lives without being targeted with unhealthy food marketing, the processed food industry must be prevented from using marketing tactics that target children, including:
• marketing that uses any feature or technique that is likely to appeal to children including images, activities, characters and prizes
This must prevent the processed food industry putting cartoon characters on unhealthy food packaging, designing children’s games to promote unhealthy food brands, running competitions or promotions with prizes children want and giving away children’s toys or books with unhealthy children’s meals.
This is important even in cases where the marketing is also likely to appeal to adults.
• marketing in any physical place or form of media that is primarily for children
Children should be able to participate in their usual activities without seeing unhealthy food marketing.
The processed food industry must be prevented from targeting children in any place or in any form of media that is primarily for children. This includes at children’s sporting activities, including by sponsoring teams and giving out vouchers, and in any children’s publications.
• marketing sent or displayed directly to a child by email or in any other way
Children must not be directly targeted by unhealthy food companies seeking to encourage children to buy their products. The processed food industry must be prevented from sending children emails with discount offers for unhealthy food, giving children vouchers for unhealthy food or alerting children to product offers through mobile applications or in any other way.
More than 60% of Australians agree the Government should stop the following forms of unhealthy food marketing9
designing websites, games or mobile apps that appeal
to children
using characters or cartoons popular
with children
running competitions that appeal to children
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Action 3 Ensure public spaces and events are free from unhealthy food marketing
Children should be able to travel to school, participate in sporting activities, go to public places and attend public events without being exposed to unhealthy food marketing.
Processed food companies should be prevented from marketing unhealthy food in places where they know children go as part of their normal lives and where children are guaranteed to see it.
Public spaces and public events include:
• all government owned, managed and funded facilities, assets and events
• public transport vehicles and infrastructure
• public outdoor locations
• education, healthcare, sporting and recreation facilities
• cultural institutions, for example libraries, museums and galleries
• sporting, cultural and music events, including sponsorship
• shopping centres
66% of Australians agree the government should stop unhealthy food and drink marketing near schools12
60% of Australians
agree the government should stop unhealthy food and drink marketing in public
places owned or managed by the government
(e.g. public transport, public transport stations,
billboards)11
61% OF FOOD ADSon Melbourne’s public
transport are for unhealthy food10
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Action 4 Protect children from digital marketing of unhealthy food
Children should be able to use digital media without being exposed to unhealthy food marketing.
Digital media is an important part of children’s lives. They use it for education, to access information, to communicate with friends and family and for leisure time. Children use digital media in much the same way that adults do, and we know that they use many of the same platforms. Children should be protected from unhealthy food marketing whenever they use digital media of any kind.
To ensure children are effectively protected online, unhealthy food must not be advertised on digital media. Unless digital platforms can guarantee that children will not be exposed to unhealthy food marketing, they should not be able to publish it. We expect there will be very few circumstances in which they can make this guarantee.
68% of Australians agree the government should stop unhealthy food marketing on social media at all times for
all users under 16 years of age15
76% of Australians agree the government
should stop unhealthy food marketing
targeting children online14
Australian
children aged
13-17
years are
exposed to
almost 100 online
promotions
for unhealthy food
every week13
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Principles for effective regulationThe four actions must be underpinned by key principles that will ensure regulation is effective. Effective regulation must:
be government led
Australian governments must regulate to protect children from unhealthy food marketing. The processed food and advertising industries should not be allowed to make their own rules – they will always put profits above children’s health.
Policy development must be protected from the food and advertising industries’ efforts to influence it.
be informed by evidence
Government must develop regulation based on the best available evidence and advice from public health organisations.
be comprehensive and future-proofed
The processed food industry will always find new ways to market unhealthy food to children and take advantage of any gaps in regulation to continue marketing. Effective regulation must apply to all marketing techniques and technologies now and into the future.
stop the processed food industry exposing children to unhealthy food marketing
The regulation must stop the processed food industry exposing children to unhealthy food products and brands in all areas of their lives, not only in environments that are specifically for children. Effective regulation will ensure there is no unhealthy food marketing where children will see it.
stop the processed food industry using marketing that appeals to children
Many unhealthy food companies and fast-food chains design marketing that appeals to children, including children’s games and apps, cartoons on packaging, and free toys with fast-food meals. The processed food industry must be prevented from using these marketing tactics to target children with unhealthy food marketing.
ensure the processed food industry follows the rules
Governments must take responsibility for making sure the processed food industry complies with the regulation. An independent government department or agency must ensure the processed food industry is not marketing unhealthy food to children and there must be significant consequences, including financial penalties, if a company does not follow the rules.
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Key detailsThe regulation must apply to any business that makes or sells unhealthy food, including manufacturers, retailers, fast food outlets, restaurants, cafes and food delivery businesses.
The regulation must protect all children aged under 18 years.
The definition of marketing must be comprehensive and future-proofed, covering any activity that promotes any product, service, organisation or brand, including:
• all marketing on television, radio or at the cinema (including digital film, television and radio)
• all forms of digital marketing, including on social media, video streaming or gaming platforms (e.g. influencer, brand owned, sponsored and shared content), branded mobile applications, games and websites and programmatic or display advertising
• print advertising, including publications, billboards and signs
• promotions and competitions, including giveaways and prizes
• direct marketing, including email or app notification of discounts or other promotional offers and vouchers for unhealthy food
• sponsorship of any kind, for example of a sporting team, a television program, a podcast or product placement
• point of sale advertising
• product design and packaging.
Children must be protected from marketing of brands that are predominantly associated with unhealthy food, even where unhealthy food is not featured.
This is a key element of comprehensive regulation to protect children from unhealthy food marketing. If brand marketing is not addressed, food companies and fast-food chains will replace current unhealthy food marketing with new campaigns that promote unhealthy brands. This will undermine the purpose of the regulation.
The regulation should clearly define the types of food and drinks that are unhealthy. There are many different models that define unhealthy food and have been developed to regulate marketing, both in Australia and around the world.
The definition must be strong and reflect the Australian Dietary Guidelines and current evidence on healthy diets, restricting processed foods, including foods that are high in added sugar, salt and/or saturated fat.
The way forward
Our community expects governments to protect children from companies targeting them with unhealthy food marketing – this includes the Australian Government and state and territory governments.
We urge all governments across Australia to take steps to enact these protections.
State and territory governments can prioritise protections that can be applied within their jurisdiction – starting with ensuring public spaces and events are free from unhealthy food marketing.
The Australian Government must adopt comprehensive regulation to effectively protect children from unhealthy food marketing, including in all forms of media and in the online environment – starting with ensuring that television, radio and cinema are free from unhealthy food marketing when children are watching and listening, and protecting children from digital marketing of unhealthy food.
Australia must put our children’s health above the processed food industry’s profits.
The time to act is now.
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References1 For the OPC’s most recent analysis of the reasons this industry system fails,
see opc.org.au for our report: Overbranded, Underprotected: How industry self-regulation is failing to protect children from unhealthy food marketing.
2 Evidence shows that self-regulation is not effective in reducing children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing, both in Australia and around the world. See the following: Galbraith-Emami S, Lobstein T. The impact of initiatives to limit the advertising of food and beverage products to children: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2013;14(12):960-74; Chambers SA, Freeman R, Anderson AS, MacGillivray S. Reducing the volume, exposure and negative impacts of advertising for foods high in fat, sugar and salt to children: A systematic review of the evidence from statutory and self-regulatory actions and educational measures. Prev Med. 2015;75:32-43; Ronit K, Jensen JD. Obesity and industry self-regulation of food and beverage marketing: a literature review. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2014;68(7):753-9; Jensen JD, Ronit K. The EU pledge for responsible marketing of food and beverages to children: implementation in food companies. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2015;69(8):896-901; Clark H, Coll-Seck AM, Banerjee A, Peterson S, Dalglish SL, Ameratunga S, et al. A future for the world’s children? A WHO-UNICEF-Lancet Commission. Lancet. 2020;395(10224):605-58; Watson, W L et al, Advertising to children initiatives have not reduced unhealthy food advertising on Australian television. Journal of Public Health.2017.1-6; King L, Hebden L, Grunseit A, Kelly B, Chapman K, Venugopal K. Industry self regulation of television food advertising: responsible or responsive? Int J Pediatr Obes. 2011;6(2-2):e390-8.
3 The industry code applying to food manufacturers, the Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative, allows manufacturers to set their own criteria for foods that are ‘healthier dietary choices’ and can be marketed directly to children. Under Kellogg’s action plan, both Froot Loops and Coco Pops meet its criteria for healthier dietary choices. Company action plans are available on the Australian Association of National Advertisers website: aana.com.au/self-regulation/codes-guidelines/australian-food-and-grocery-council-initiatives/.
4 The Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative and the Quick Service Restaurant Industry Initiative for Responsible Advertising and Marketing to Children both say advertising for unhealthy food will be ‘directed primarily to children’ where it is shown in a program (or another medium) where children (aged under either 12 or 14) are 35% or more of the audience. This threshold is rarely met, and the highest numbers of children watch television in the evenings, when adults are also watching. For more discussion on this issue, see opc.org.au for our report: Overbranded, Underprotected: How industry self-regulation is failing to protect children from unhealthy food marketing.
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5 The Ad Standards Community Panel has found that mobile game apps designed specifically for young children by and to promote unhealthy food brands (a fast food chain and a chocolate brand) did not breach the industry code because they either included a depiction of a healthier meal option or did not directly depict an unhealthy food option. See Ad Standards Community Panel decisions 0006/19 (Magic Kinder app) and 0217-20 (McDonald’s Happy Meal app).
6 Nuss T, Chen YJM, Dixon H, Morley B. (2020). Australians’ support for initiatives to protect children from unhealthy food and drink marketing and advertising. Research brief, prepared for: Obesity Policy Coalition. Melbourne, Australia: Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria.
7 Kelly B, Halford JC, Boyland EJ, et al. Television food advertising to children: a global perspective. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(9):1730-1736. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.179267.
8 Nuss et al, above n 6.
9 Nuss et al, above n 6.
10 The prevalence of junk food advertising on public transport, public transport infrastructure and near schools in Melbourne, Victoria. Obesity Policy Coalition, 2019. See media release here: www.opc.org.au/media/media-releases_copy/opc_opc-calls-for-removal-of-unhealthy-food-marketing-on-public-transport-to-protect-kids1.html#_ftn1.
11 Nuss et al, above n 6.
12 Nuss et al, above n 6.
13 Kelly B, Bosward R, Freeman B. Social online marketing engagement (SoMe) with food and drink brands: Real time measurement of Australian children. Under preparation.
14 Nuss et al, above n 6.
15 Nuss et al, above n 6.
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Australia must put our children’s health above
the processed food industry’s profits.
The time to act is now.
