Ban junk food advertising to young people
The AMA today called on the Government to ban junk food advertising to young people.
AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said that a survey released today confirms that advertising has a direct impact on the foods and drinks that older children and adolescents choose to consume.
The survey of high school students from years eight to 11 by the Cancer Council and Heart Foundation shows that advertising and marketing directly influence students’ food choices, with more than half of the children indicating that they had tried a new food or drink product in the past month because they had seen it advertised.
The survey also found that just under one in four students are overweight or obese.
The findings from this survey highlight the impact of advertising and marketing on adolescents and reinforces the AMA’s concerns – highlighted in its submission to the Preventative Health Taskforce – about the marketing of unhealthy products to children and young people.
Dr Pesce said that the AMA has for years been calling for a ban on broadcast advertising of energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods and beverages to children, particularly in children’s television viewing times.
“As a community we must help young people make the right choices about the foods they eat, and this will help to reduce levels of overweight and obesity among young Australians,” he said.
The survey found that one-quarter of students had chosen to eat at a fast food outlet because it had a special offer or giveaway with a meal, and almost 20 per cent chose a food or drink because it was linked to a movie or sports personality.
“These results clearly show that the problem of targeted marketing of junk food to children and young people is not limited to broadcast advertising, with non-broadcast food marketing techniques such as freebies and gimmicks also having an impact on food choices,” Dr Pesce said.
“High rates of obesity among young people leads directly to a greater risk of chronic cardiovascular disease later in life, and shortens life.
“All governments must focus on improving the health of young people now and prevent the situation where, for the first time in Australia, we may potentially face a generation of children who will live shorter lives than their parents.”
9 February 2011
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