This report places the crisis in children's diet-related health in the context of the unhealthy food environments which have become part-and-parcel of their every day lives. Using a range of examples from a number of policy areas (for example, control of tobacco advertising, alcohol promotion and marketing of breastmilk substitutes), the report explains how industry is unable, in a competitive market, to exercise the social responsibility required to make voluntary approaches successful. It also demolishes the many arguments used by the food and advertising industries to promote self-regulation rather than effective legislation.

Contents

Summary

1. What is wrong with children's diets?

The "timebomb" is exploding

What is causing the problem?
- Junk food promotions targeted at children
- Poor quality food in schools
- Inadequate food education and skills
- Insufficient promotion for healthy food

How the Children's Food Bill will address the causes
- Improving the quality of children’s food
- Protecting children from unhealthy food marketing
- Improving the quality of food in schools
- Ensuring all children have essential food skills and knowledge
- Promoting healthy food to children
- Support for the Children's Food Bill

Government's current approach
- The five-a-day programme
- The "Jamie Oliver" initiative
- No change in the curriculum
- Voluntary restrictions on food marketing

2. Voluntary approaches do not work

Case studies
- Tobacco advertising
- Alcohol promotion
- Marketing breastmilk substitutes
- Using pesticides and antibiotics in farming
- Controlling supermarket power

Why are voluntary approaches ineffective?
- Voluntary codes are weak
- There are commercial incentives not to comply
- There are no meaningful sanctions for non-compliance
- Independent operation and monitoring is rare
- The real purpose of voluntary approaches?

3. Arguments used against the Children's Food Bill

- There is no problem
- There is a problem, but it is all down to physical inactivity
- All foods can be healthy
- Food marketing has no, or only a minor effect on children's diets
- Media literacy is the solution
- Voluntary codes are more flexible
- Marketing is already heavily regulated
- It is parents' responsibility, not the "nanny" state
- An ad ban would be:
- Anti-competitive
- Disproportionate
- A short-term, simplistic and populist measure
- A problem for children's TV
- Ineffective
- Too costly

References

Appendix I: National organisations supporting the Children’s Food Bill

Appendix II: MPs who signed Early Day Motion 1256 in support of the Children's Food Bill