OPC responds to World Cancer Research Fund report on protecting children from junk food marketing

24 Jan 2020

Jane Martin, Executive Manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition has responded to a new report from the World Cancer Research Fund highlighting that countries around the world are failing to protect children from the effects junk food marketing has on their health.

As the report acknowledges, marketing affects what children want, buy and eat, which in turn affects their health and contributes to the increasing levels of childhood obesity.

Previous research has shown that seeing 4.4 minutes of food advertising can lead to children eating 60 more calories a day and eating as little as 46 extra calories each day can lead to excess weight in children.

“It’s naïve to entrust our children’s health to the same companies that are actively encouraging them to consume unhealthy foods. The end goal of the food industry will always be to make more profit.

"When 350 million children and young people worldwide are above a healthy weight we need the Government to introduce higher standards to protect children from the influence of sneaky marketing tactics.”