A report for the Irish Heart Foundation has concluded that sugary, salty and fatty foods are being heavily promoted to teenagers via social media, and that regulation has not caught up with the industry's move away from broadcast advertising in favour of digital marketing mehods.
In Ireland, as in many other countries, regulations restrict the advertising of foods high in salt, fat and sugar to under-18s on TV and radio, but digital marketing is more loosely regulated. In the UK, the Committee on Advertising Practice is currently consulting on proposals for further restrictions on the advertising to children of food and soft drink products in non-broadcast media.
The Irish research found a strong focus on content likely to appeal to teenagers on websites and social media, using what the report describes as 'powerful engagement-, emotion-, and entertainment-based tactics'. A fifth of the top retail food brands in Ireland were found to contain material of this type, and Facebook Food Brand Pages were popular with 13-14 year olds.
The research also found that parents were unaware of digital food marketing and its engagement techniques, many of which they considered misleading and exploitative.
Read more about Sustain's work to promote healthier children's diets here.
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
