How should we monitor marketing foods to children for their better eating habits?

Abstract

Abstract There is unequivocal evidence that childhood obesity is influenced by marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages high in saturated fat, salt and/or free sugars (HFSS). Furthermore, there is convincing evidence that HFSS marketing in traditional media has detrimental effects on children's eating and eating-related behaviour, and HFSS marketing in digital media has similar effects with stronger effect in vulnerable groups. According to the WHO Commission on ending childhood obesity, efforts must be made to ensure that children everywhere are protected against the impact of marketing and given the opportunity to grow and develop in an enabling food environment - one that fosters and encourages healthy dietary choices and promotes the maintenance of healthy weight. Children are being continuously exposed to powerful food marketing, increasingly in the digital environment. Best-ReMaP partners were exploring how to better monitor food marketing and advertising activities, in particular of promotional activities targeted to and/or impacting children at one hand, and how could marketing activities could be better regulated. Main actions of Best-ReMaP consortium in this field were as following, among others: (1) to identify, develop and share best policy practices to reduce exposure of children to the (digital) marketing of unhealthy foods, (2) develop coordinated and comprehensive protocols and tools to monitor the extent and nature of (digital) marketing exposure of children, including the upgraded WHO nutrient profile model, and to (3) support Member States with the implementation of the new EU rules on audiovisual media services.