TV advertising for unhealthy food: Foodwatch wants a far-reaching ban

Healthy eating
Foodwatch calls for a far-reaching ban on advertising unhealthy food

The consumer organization Foodwatch is calling for a far-reaching ban on the advertising of unhealthy foods because of the generally high proportion of children among television viewers. An evaluation by the University of Hamburg has shown that children who watch television regularly, especially in the evening program, see many commercials for unhealthy snacks and sweets, Foodwatch explained on Thursday. This underscores the need for a general ban on advertising unhealthy food between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.

The federal government is currently working on a bill to limit unhealthy advertising aimed at children. In the coalition agreement, the Ampel parties have agreed to a ban on advertising specifically “aimed at children”. This should therefore apply “to programs and formats for under 14-year-olds”.

Foodwatch: No advertising for unhealthy food on TV and the Internet until 11 p.m

Foodwatch criticizes this as insufficient. According to the organization, very sweet or fatty foods should generally no longer be allowed to be advertised on television and the Internet between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.

“Almost half of the advertising for unhealthy foods that children see on television is on prime time in the evening,” the statement said. Children between the ages of three and 13 who watch TV would see an average of five commercials for “sugar bombs or greasy snacks” between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. According to Foodwatch, this was the result of an evaluation by Tobias Effertz, an expert in children’s marketing at the University of Hamburg.

The consumer advocates also refer to data from AGF Videoforschung, according to which “one in three of the TV programs most popular with children is not a classic children’s format, but an entertainment program broadcast in prime time, a family film or a sports broadcast”.

Doctors, health insurance companies and consumer organizations supported advertising bans

The German Alliance for Non-Communicable Diseases (DANK) agreed with the assessment. The data showed: “A ‘light’ advertising restriction that only includes classic children’s programs would be doomed to fail.” When working on the draft law, Food Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) must not ignore the fact that children are exposed to advertising for unhealthy things, especially during prime time.

The Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv) also stated that the government must put a stop to “round-the-clock advertising” for unhealthy products and create more space for advertising healthy products. Almost nine out of ten foods aimed at children do not follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization, “ie they are too sweet, salty or greasy”. The government must “act quickly” here.

Paediatricians and health insurance companies are also in favor of a ban on advertising for unhealthy foods aimed at children. “Advertising restrictions for unhealthy children’s food on TV, radio and streaming services must become mandatory,” said Carola Reimann, chairwoman of the AOK federal association, on Wednesday. She also called for a mandatory reduction in the sugar content of finished products.

Advertising industry speaks of “ban radicalism”

The advertising industry and the food industry, on the other hand, always point out that there are numerous factors for obesity in children – for example a lack of exercise. The Central Association of the German Advertising Industry (ZAW) declared on Thursday that there was no evidence, data or facts for “banned radicalism”. Children neither sat in front of the television in the evenings, especially not from the age of three, nor were children’s channels with high market shares such as Kika taken into account, “to name just two examples from the Effertz study”. Advertising bans do not make children slimmer, as shown by data from countries that have gone this route without success.

afp, hcy/ilo
AFP