Health groups warn: world's children at risk from junk food marketing
Health groups warn: world's children at risk from junk food marketing
The health of the children around the world is put at risk by the marketing of junk food, says a report from the Food Commission issued recently.
The report, Broadcasting Bad Health: Why Food Marketing to Children Needs to be Controlled, shows that:
The food-industry's global advertising budget is $40 billion, a figure greater than the gross domestic product (GDP) of 70 percent of the world's nations.
For every £1 spent by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on preventing the diseases caused by western diets, more than $500 is spent by the food industry promoting these diets.
In industrialised countries, food advertising accounts for around half of all advertising broadcast during children's TV viewing times. Three-quarters of such food adverts promote high-calorie, low-nutrient foods.
For countries with transitional economies (such as Eastern Europe),typically 60 percent of foreign direct investment in food production is for sugar, confectionery and soft drinks. For every ~$100 spent invested in fruit and vegetable production, over $1,000 is being invested in soft drinks and confectionery.
Over half the world's population lives in less industrialised countries such as Russia, China and India and they are now suffering a rising tide of diet-related diseases as food companies export their products and their advertising practices.
The report coincides with a major consultation by the WHO to address a rising tide of diet-related disease around the world. The WHO has identified as "probable"or "convincing" the scientific evidence that these diseases –including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and several common types of cancers – are linked to eating high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and sugar-sweetened drinks, backed by a cultural environment in which processed foods and fast-food outlets are heavily marketed.
The Food Commission (UK) Ltd, 94 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF. Tel: 020 7837 2250; Fax: 020 7837 1141; E-mail: enquiries@foodcomm.org.uk;Web site: www.foodcomm.org.uk
