News • Children's Food Campaign
Snack sized efforts by the confectionary industry in new 'Be Treatwise' campaign
Confectionary companies, including Mondelez, Ferrero and Mars Wrigley are reaching out to parents to get their feedback on new ways they can sell their products to help families ‘treat responsibly’. Sustain Deputy CEO, Ben Reynolds is not convinced by the motives.
Ben Reynolds, Deputy CEO of food and farming charity Sustain, commented: "It's hard to tell whether this is plain naivety or something more cynical on the part of the confectionary industry, but this new initiative suggesting high sugar snacks are part of a healthy balanced diet is a throw-back to dietary advice from years ago, and sends out the wrong message.
The updated advice from Government and health experts has shifted this food off the Eatwell plate. For Be Treatwise to suggest that sugary snacks are part of a balanced diet suggests they are necessary, where they are anything but."
He continued, “This appears to be a snack sized effort, nibbling at the edges of the real issue. Whacking a bit of labelling on smaller portions, whilst pushing ever bigger portions through promotions and marketing, does not wash.
If these companies want to seriously convince us they have people's health interest in mind, they would reduce their considerable marketing and sponsorship spend aimed at families, and the amount of promotion they do on larger portions and so-called sharing bags."
Published Friday 2 March 2018
Children's Food Campaign: Better food and food teaching for children in schools, and protection of children from junk food marketing are the aims of Sustain's high-profile Children's Food Campaign. We also want clear food labelling that can be understood by everyone, including children.
