Junk food marketing to children
Promotions for unhealthy processed foods and drinks
are undermining efforts to encourage children to follow a
heart healthy diet.
Our new report,
The 21st Century Gingerbread House, reveals the
tactics companies are using to market to our children
online.
Read the report
Learn how to market a Lard
Bar
What needs to be done?
We need a system that truly protects our children and young
people from sophisticated marketing campaigns for
unhealthy products. So we're calling for the UK Governments to
introduce new regulations which are consistent across all media and
cover all forms of marketing.
The regulatory system for non-broadcast
advertising - including online and in magazines and
posters - is weak. The rules are vague and don't
distinguish between healthy and unhealthy products. They also fail
to cover a number of common marketing techniques. For example,
brand characters, brand marketing, and product packaging featuring
games and competitions are not included in the regulations.
Restrictions on TV advertising
for unhealthy products have reduced the number of junk food
advertisements children see. But marketers can still advertise
unhealthy products during some of the television programmes most
watched by children such as X-Factor and
Britain’s Got Talent, because the restrictions
only cover children’s television programmes.
- To better protect children the UK
Government should introduce consistant regulations across all forms
of media, which cover all advertising techniques and distinguish
between healthy and unhealthy products.
- All television advertisements
for unhealthy products should be screened after the
9pm watershed.
For more information please read our
policy statement or email policy@bhf.org.uk.