WHO launches tool to help countries reduce marketing of foods with too much fat, sugar and salt to children

Copenhagen, 19 February 2015

Across the WHO European Region, children are still regularly exposed to marketing that promotes foods and drinks high in energy, saturated fats, trans fatty acids, free sugars or salt. Despite progress in some countries, government action to restrict such marketing remains less than optimal. One of the reasons for this is the challenge of identifying foods whose marketing should be restricted, whether on television, the Internet, billboards or any other channel. A first step in developing policies to restrict marketing to children is to establish the criteria that identify such foods and drinks. To meet this need, the WHO Regional Office for Europe has developed a nutrient profile model for countries to adapt and use to classify foods according to their nutritional composition. Policy-makers across the Region will be able to use this tool to determine whether a food product may not be marketed to children.

Fighting childhood obesity

Marketing of foods high in energy, fats, sugars or salt has a documented harmful impact on children: it promotes the development of unhealthy food preferences and diets, and childhood obesity, thus contributing to the later development of diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Policies that introduce tighter controls on the marketing of foods to children will be central to fight childhood obesity.

“Given the current epidemic of childhood obesity across Europe, there is no justification for marketing products that have little nutritional value and contribute to unhealthy diets. The tool that we are offering to countries to adapt and use would protect children from the harmful effects of marketing of foods high in energy, saturated fats, trans fatty acids, free sugars and salt.” says Dr Gauden Galea, Director of the Division of Noncommunicable Diseases and Promoting Health through the Life-course at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

The Regional Office’s nutrient profile model is intended to reduce the pressure of marketing on children by helping countries identify foods for which marketing should not be permitted. This task was set by the WHO European Food and Nutrition Action Plan 2015–2020,  adopted by the 2014 WHO Regional Committee for Europe.

Unhealthy diets are a leading factor affecting health and well-being in every European country; rising overweight and obesity among children are particular concerns. Affecting up to 27% of 13-year-olds and 33% of 11-year-olds, overweight risks becoming the new norm in the WHO European Region. Robust evidence points to a link between exposure to food marketing and unhealthy diets and obesity in children. The leading categories of advertised foods are soft drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, biscuits, confectionery, snack foods, ready meals and fast food. Brand recognition starts in early childhood. Children who recognize multiple brands by the age of 4 years are more likely to eat unhealthily and be overweight. Research has demonstrated that overweight children in particular respond to the presence of branded food packaging by increasing their consumption.

Modelled on experience in Europe

The WHO Regional Office for Europe developed its nutrient profile model through extensive consultation with countries in the European Region, with significant input from those belonging to the WHO European action network on reducing marketing pressure on children. The model is largely based on the Danish and Norwegian models, which are used to restrict food marketing to children. Health authorities developed the Norwegian model, while the Danish model was developed by the Forum for Responsible Food Marketing Communication (a trade association) but endorsed for use by the Danish Government.

Countries will be able to use the WHO model,as it is, or after adapting it to their circumstances, to develop and implement policies to restrict food marketing to children in two ways:

• to identify foods not to be marketed to children; or
• to monitor the extent and nature of food marketing.