Briefing Document: Food advertising and children

Produced by Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming

UK advertising for the year 2000

• £21 million was spent on advertisements for the top ten selling types of crisps and snacks.
  
• £47 million was spent on advertisements for the top ten selling types of confectionery.
  
• £71 million was spent on advertisements for the top ten selling types of soft drinks.

Surveys by Sustain indicate that;

• There are 3 times as many adverts for food during children's TV programmes as there are during adult viewing times.
  
• Between 95% and 99% of the food advertised on children's TV has a high content of sugar, fat or salt.
  
• There are almost no adverts for fruits and vegetables on children's TV.

The influence of ads on children

• Research shows that a four year old sees advertising as entertainment. A six to seven year old sees advertising as providing information. Between the ages of 10 and 12 children understand that advertising has a further aim to sell and make profit.
  
• If advertisements did not influence children then the advertising industry would be wasting millions of pounds of manufacturers' money.

Diets of children in the UK

• The majority eat less than half the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
  
• 92% eat more than the recommended intake of saturated fat.
  
• 84% eat more than the recommended intake of sugar.
  
• 75% eat more than the recommended intake of salt.

Attitude of parents

• 85% want strict controls on advertising to children.
  
• 77% want stricter controls on the advertisement of unhealthy foods on children's TV.
  
• The reasons people don't complain include not being aware that there is a reason to be concerned, not knowing who to complain to, not having the time or inclination to complain and not believing that complaining will make any difference.

The consequences for health

• Unhealthy childhood eating habits tend to persist into adult life.
  
• The number of overweight children has increased by around 56% in the last 10 years and the number of obese children has more than doubled.
  
• Unhealthy diets increase the risk of health problems such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Messages from medical professionals

• A British Medical Journal editorial in February 2000 states, “Children should be encouraged to eat fewer high fat snacks such as crisps and biscuits and to avoid consuming a large proportion of total energy from sweetened drinks".
  
• A British Medical Journal editorial in February 2001 suggests that reducing the amount of time children spend watching TV reduces weight gain because, not only do children have more opportunities for activity, but also are less likely to request advertised foods (which are very often high in fat and sugar).

Controls on advertising

• Sweden has banned all TV food advertisements aimed at children under the age of 12.
  
• In the UK, adverts must not set 'bad examples', encourage over-eating or disparage good dietary practice.