Inventory of Position Statements

Alberta Policy Coalition for Chronic Disease Prevention

“Given the potential impact of emerging media on youth, there is a need to protect youth up to age 18 through expanding restrictions to include new media marketing techniques, such as internet and text advertising. Provinces must also work together to expand legislation across all Canadian jurisdictions in order to address the possibility of cross-border ‘leakage’ of advertising” (2015: 2).

Click here to read the issue brief

Association of Local Public Health Agencies [alPHa]

“In 2008, alPHa passed a resolution calling for a ban on all commercial advertising of food and beverages targeted to children less than 13 years of age. Its basis is the extensive evidence that the vast majority of such marketing to children is for unhealthy, calorie-dense and nutrient poor food and beverages, resulting in significant negative impacts on food and beverage choices, fueling rising obesity rates” (2009).

Click here to read the letter

Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada

“CDPAC is a proud supporting member of the Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition, a national coalition advocating for restrictions on food and beverage marketing to children and youth that launched February 24th 2016 at the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada pan-Canadian conference” (2019).

Click here to read the statement

Ontario Medical Association

Ontario doctors are calling for higher taxes and graphic warning labels on junk food to combat what they are calling an “epidemic in the province” when it comes to overweight and obese children… The association plans to present the province with several recommendations, including…[m]arketing of junk food to kids” (2012).

Click here to read the statement

Childhood Obesity Foundation

“Federal government to immediately begin a legislative process to restrict all marketing targeted to children under the age of 13 of foods and beverages high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars or sodium and that in the interim the food industry immediately ceases marketing of such food to children”.

Click here to read the statement in English
Click here to read the statement in French

Heart & Stroke

“Heart & Stroke recommends the federal government promptly introduce draft regulations in Canada Gazette I to restrict the marketing of food and beverages high in salt, sugars and saturated fats to children” (2021).

Click here to read the statement

Hypertension Canada

“Hypertension Canada supports restrictions on unhealthy food and beverage marketing to children as a policy intervention to improve diet and prevent early chronic disease. There is consistent evidence that unhealthy food and beverage marketing negatively influence children’s dietary behaviours” (2013).

Click here to read the policy consensus statement

Ontario Public Health Association

“The Ontario Public Health Association call[s] for a ban on all commercial advertising targeted to children under 13 years of age by the Government of Ontario, the Government of Canada or both” (2008).

Click here to read the statement

Toronto Board of Health

“…in order to support parents and protect children as part of an overall health strategy, [the Board of Health] calls for a total ban on all commercial advertising targeted to children under 13” (2010)

Click here to read the paper

Click here to view a summary of the above position statements.

International

The World Health Organization: The WHO’s 2022 Protecting Children from the Harmful Impact of Food Marketing: Policy Brief provides policy-makers and programme managers, health professionals and advocates with information and policy options to increase protection of children from the harmful impact of food marketing by reducing the power of, and exposure of children to, such marketing practices.

Australia’s International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF): A set of seven principles were developed by an International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) Working Group to guide action in Australia on changing food and beverage marketing practices that target children.

Click here to read more.