BBC News
The government must do more to reduce the number of cut-price and multi-buy offers on unhealthy food to help curb childhood obesity, a group of MPs say… The main features of the government’s long-awaited childhood obesity plan, published in October 2016, were a sugar levy and a voluntary target to cut sugar in children’s food and drink by 20% by 2020. Read More…
CBC News
The Heart and Stroke Foundation wants Hamilton to be a leader in banning sugary drinks in its vending machines, and ads encouraging them. And at least a handful of city councillors seem ready to take the leap. Read more…
CTV News
After hearing concerns from parents and health authorities, the City of Toronto is being asked to consider age restrictions on the sale of caffeinated energy drinks. Read more…
Global News
A father in Quebec argues children are being marketed to by the fast food mogul, McDonald’s, and he wants it to stop. Marketing to kids under 13 years of age is illegal according to Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act. The father believes McDonald’s is advertising to kids by showcasing toy cases in their restaurants right at children’s eye level.
“Whatever it is, good food or not, marketing to kids is not allowed in Quebec,” says Corinne Voyer, Director of the Weight Coalition in Quebec.
Voyer notes marketing foods and beverages to children is a problem recognized by the World Health Organization in the obesity epidemic.
McDonald’s is now facing a class action lawsuit in Quebec. Global News Reporter Gloria Henriquez tells the full story.
WATCH: Not so Happy Meals: McDonald’s faces class action lawsuit in Quebec
March 7, 2017
The Globe and Mail
Andre Picard
Young people today spend a lot of time staring at screens – immersed in video games, websites, social media, even old-fashioned TV – and during that time they are often bombarded with advertising, almost all of it for junk food.
On TV shows aimed at kids, they will see about five ads for sugary and salty treats an hour, and that’s with regulation (or at least self-regulation by industry). Read More…
The Star
“In the 1960s, the biggest supermarkets only carried 10,000 items or fewer. Big supermarkets today offer almost 40,000 products. Among those extra items are more kinds of fresh fruits, vegetables and nonfood items — but not 30,000. The vast majority of the additional food items are a huge range of ready-to-eat products, from cookies to snacks to complete dinners that have a characteristic in common — they are ultra-processed foods”.
“What can we do to combat this dietary crisis? There is no easy fix, but a number of important things can and must be done. Restricting unhealthy food and beverage marketing to children is a good step. Fortunately, just such legislation is being debated in the House of Commons. We need updated national dietary guidelines and education to help Canadians make healthy choices. Again, fortunately, the federal government has announced a new Healthy Eating Strategy, which includes revisions to Canada’s Food Guide and strong front-of-pack nutrition labelling”.
CBC News
Two-thirds of food and beverages tested by a group of Ontario researchers, including baby foods and products marketed as healthy, were found to contain added sugar. Read more…
World Health Organization
For the first time, researchers and health experts have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the concerning situation in the WHO European Region of digital marketing to children of foods high in fats, salt and sugars. Read more…
Sudbury News
The Sudbury and District Board of Health voted Thursday to endorse a Canadian Senate bill that would ban the advertising of foods and beverages to children under the age of 13 to help combat childhood obesity. Read more here…
PortageOnline
The Federal Government has been approached by several health organizations about the negative effects sugary drinks are having on the health of Canadians… The Heart and Stroke Foundation is proposing a five cent federal tax per hundred milliliters on sugar-sweetened beverages, saying such a levy would be a sustainable source of tax revenue that would generate $1.8 billion every year for the public treasury. Read more here…
Vancouver Sun
The Globe & Mail