AMA supports ban on junk food advertising
AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the AMA strongly supports a ban on the broadcast advertising of junk food to children, particularly during children’s television times.
Dr Hambleton said that the voting down of the Protecting Children from Junk Food Advertising (Broadcast Amendment) Bill 2010 in the Senate today was a huge disappointment to people concerned about the health of young Australians.
“The advertising of energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods and beverages is leading to overconsumption of these products, which is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic affecting children and teenagers in Australia,” Dr Hambleton said.
“The health of our children now and in the future is of paramount importance, and should be front-of-mind in any decision about advertising and program content.
“We must not put the profits and interests of the junk food industry before the future health of Australia’s children.
“The Senate missed an opportunity to put Australia on the map as a world leader in combating obesity.
“Obesity is now challenging smoking as the major cause of preventable death in Australia.”
Dr Hambleton said that appropriate food labelling would make it easier for families to make healthy choices about the foods they provide to their children.
“Food labelling that is simple and informative, like ‘traffic light’ labelling, is essential in Australia’s fight against obesity,” Dr Hambleton said.
“The Food Labelling Law and Policy Review has recently recommended that a traffic light front-of-pack labelling system be introduced.
“The Government should adopt this recommendation and make it mandatory,” Dr Hambleton
said.
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