Could recent initiatives in industry self-regulation be missing the mark?
Across the world, reports by reputable scientific organisations have concluded that food marketing influences the types of foods that children want to eat, children’s requests for food purchases and, ultimately, the foods that children consume.1 This type of evidence led to the National Preventative Health Taskforce’s recommendation to target food marketing to children as part of Australia’s strategy for tackling overweight and obesity.2
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- 1. Cairns G, Angus K, Hastings G. The extent, nature and effects of food promotion to children: a review of the evidence to December 2008. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2009. http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/Evidence_Update_2009.pdf (accessed Jul 2013).
- 2. National Preventative Health Taskforce Obesity Working Group. Australia: the healthiest country by 2020. Technical report no 1. Obesity in Australia: a need for urgent action. http://www.preventativehealth.org.au/internet/preventativehealth/publishing.nsf/Content/tech-obesity-toc (accessed Jul 2013).
- 3. Smithers LG, Lynch JW, Merlin T. Television marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children in Australia: a review of published evidence from 2009. Canberra: Australian National Preventive Health Agency, 2012. http://www. anpha.gov.au/internet/anpha/publishing.nsf/Content/Television%20 marketing%20of%20unhealthy%20food%20and%20beverages%20to %20children%20in%20Australia (accessed Jul 2013).
- 4. Brindal E, Corsini N, Hendrie GA. The nature and extent of television advertising to children: a review of data from Adelaide FTA, Whyalla FTA, and Pay TV for October 2008 to November 2011. Adelaide: CSIRO, 2011.
- 5. Department of Health and Ageing. 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey — main findings. http://www. health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-nutrition-childrens-survey (accessed Jul 2013).
- 6. King L, Hebden L, Grunseit A, et al. Building the case for independent monitoring of food advertising on Australian television. Public Health Nutr 2012; 4: 1-6.
- 7. Roberts M, Pettigrew S, Chapman K, et al. Compliance with children’s television food advertising regulations in Australia. BMC Public Health 2012; 12: 846.
- 8. SA Health. South Australians’ views on the television advertising of unhealthy food and beverages during children’s television viewing time. Adelaide: Government of South Australia, 2011. http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/e9eec38049110a37b777f77675638bd8/SA+attitudes+to+ food+advertsing-PHCS-HPB-201111.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=e9eec 38049110a37b777f77675638bd8 (accessed Jul 2013).
The authors received financial support from the Australian National Preventive Health Agency to conduct a systematic review on food advertising to Australian children. John Lynch is funded by an Australia Fellowship (570120) from the National Health and Medical Research Council. Lisa Smithers is supported by funds from the Australia Fellowship awarded to John Lynch. Tracy Merlin received funding for contract research commissioned by the Department of Health and Ageing.