Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation Addresses Marketing to Children

Kudos to Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF; their equivalent of the American Heart Association) for their new report which details the negative impact of marketing to children.

Highlights (from the press release):

• “Heart & Stroke wants Canadians to know as far as nutrition is concerned, the kids are not alright; our children and youth are bombarded with ads for unhealthy products all day, every day, influencing their food and beverage choices. This is having a devastating effect on their health and setting up conflict at home.”

• “New research reveals that over 90% of food and beverage product ads viewed by kids and teens online are for unhealthy products, and collectively kids between the ages of two and 11 see 25 million food and beverage ads a year on their top 10 favourite websites.”

• “It is time for this marketing storm to stop. One of the most effective ways to protect kids and support parents is to implement strong restrictions on the commercial marketing of food and beverages to children and youth, and Heart & Stroke is calling on government to table and pass legislation without delay.”

• “Marketers understand the power that kids hold; the ‘nag factor’ has considerable influence over what their parents buy. According to our poll, 71% of Canadians believe that because the food and beverage industry spends so much money on advertising to kids, it has an unfair advantage over parents when it comes to influencing children’s eating and drinking habits.”

• “The most frequently advertised products on children’s favourite websites are Kellogg’s Pop Tarts, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, McDonald’s Happy Meal, Red Bull Energy Drink, and Kraft Lunchables.”

• “Industry self-regulation is a failure. For the past 10 years the food and beverage industry has set its own standards and self-regulated its marketing through the Canadian Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CAI). The program is not mandatory and the nutrient criteria is weak. More troubling, advertising to kids has actually increased over the past decade.”

• Look at the CAI’s latest report and some of the foods they say are ‘healthier dietary choices’ and are therefore advertised to kids: Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, Eggo Waffles. At which breakfast tables are these considered healthy choices?” asks Geoff Craig, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Heart & Stroke.”