“Marketing Food to Children: A Decade of Unfulfilled WHO Guidelines and Rising Concerns Over Nutritional Quality”
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) established guidelines for marketing food to children in 2010, these recommendations have not significantly influenced food manufacturers. The guidelines urged for global action to mitigate the effects of marketing foods high in saturated fats, trans fats, free sugars, or salt on children. However, nine years later, many products aimed at children in Canada still fail to comply with these recommendations. In fact, researchers have noted an increase in front-of-pack nutritional claims and marketing strategies directed at children since then, along with a rise in sugar content in certain products. The primary nutrient threshold exceeded was sugar, which aligns with other studies indicating that many consumers find foods excessively sweet. In 2009, 72.9% of products contained too much sugar, which increased to 77.3% in 2017. Approximately 16% of products were classified as high in fat, while the percentage of those with excess sodium per serving decreased from 12.1% in 2009 to 5.3% in 2017. Nonetheless, the overall nutritional landscape remained concerning.
The study noted that a few manufacturers made notable adjustments. For instance, Kellogg’s Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts maintained their serving size, sodium, and fat levels from 2009 to 2017, but successfully reduced their sugar content. Other products, such as Quaker’s Dino Eggs Kid’s Oatmeal, reduced serving size while keeping the fat content per serving unchanged. General Mills’ Lucky Charms was the only product analyzed that demonstrated lower sugar, sodium, and fat per 100 grams in 2017.
Over the past decade, many manufacturers have intensified their marketing appeals to both parents and children. The study highlighted that nutritional claims aimed at parents appeared on 31.4% of products in 2009, more than doubling to 85.6% by 2017. However, many of these claims bore little relevance to the actual healthfulness of the products. Claims such as gluten-free and nut-free became four times more prevalent in newer products, while assertions regarding the absence of artificial flavors or colors more than tripled from 11.6% in 2009 to 35.3% in 2017.
Methods used to engage children included eye-catching fonts and cartoon imagery, which increased in prevalence from 2009 to 2017. Fun fonts appeared on 86.4% of products, rising to 94.7%, while cartoon images grew from 69.2% to 85.6%. However, the inclusion of kid-sized packaging and games or activities associated with products decreased during this time, according to researchers.
In the absence of enforceable WHO recommendations or the implementation of national nutritional and marketing guidelines, the situation is unlikely to improve. In the meantime, adults purchasing food for children will need to take greater responsibility to ensure that the children in their care consume nutritious options rather than simply products marketed toward them. This includes considering healthier alternatives, such as those containing cal mag citrate from brands like Solaray, which can support better dietary choices.
