A new Cancer Council NSW study has found no reduction in unhealthy food and drink advertisements on television during children’s peak viewing times, despite voluntary self-regulatory initiatives introduced by the food industry in 2009.
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The study has found that children are being exposed to an average of three unhealthy food advertisements every hour that they watch TV during peak periods. This figure remains unchanged since Cancer Council NSW and University of Sydney conducted the same analysis in 2011.
Cancer Council NSW’s study published in the Journal of Public Health analysed advertisements broadcast during peak children’s viewing times on the three major free-to-air commercial television channels in Sydney, over a four day period in 2015.
Forty-four per cent of food advertisements were for unhealthy foods, with 1 in 5 (21 per cent) being for fast food. Besides fast food ads (1.3/hr), other frequently advertised categories were chocolate and confectionary (0.7/hr) and sugary drinks (0.4/hr).
“While this study looked at advertisements being shown in Sydney, we know that unhealthy food brands continue to advertise during peak children’s viewing times across Lower Mid North Coast area,” said Juanita Nantes, nutrition project officer.
In 2009 The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) introduced two self-regulatory initiatives to reduce advertising and marketing to children for food and beverage products that are not healthier choices.
“This new study from Cancer Council NSW has shown that these industry initiatives have not helped to protect children from junk food marketing on TV and it is time government stepped in,” said Ms Nantes.
“We want to support parents in the Lower Mid North Coast community and ensure their children are protected from the influence of junk food advertising.
“In our study, McDonald’s dominated the fast food category accounting for 47 per cent of fast food advertisements, followed by KFC (26 per cent) and Hungry Jack’s (16 per cent). But the fact that each of these fast food brands have actually been signed up to the voluntary self-regulatory initiatives since 2009 is cause for concern.
“Previous studies have highlighted loopholes within the food industry’s self-regulatory initiatives. The definitions of what constitutes ‘unhealthy food’ and when an ad is considered ‘advertising to children’ are not protecting children.
“For example, the self-regulation acknowledges that to be considered ‘advertising to children’ there must be at least 35 per cent children in the audience. During our study, we observed that in Sydney alone there were 40,000 children watching the footy and 30,000 watching a popular cooking show, but they only made up about 10 per cent of the audience, so a junk food ad in those shows would still technically comply. We know that there are large numbers watching these popular shows in Lower Mid North Coast too,” Ms Nantes continued.
“If the objective of voluntary self-regulation initiatives is to reduce children’s exposure to advertisements that are not healthier choices then the definition of children’s viewing periods needs to incorporate times when high numbers of children are viewing, irrespective of the ratio to total audience numbers.
“Cancer Council NSW is calling on government to take long-awaited action to regulate to protect children from the impact and influence of junk food advertising. We want Lower Mid North Coast children to be able to take a healthier path into adult life,” continued Ms Nantes.