Media Releases

“Marketing is just washing over this country like a tidal wave, and we’re trying to give people swimming lessons.”

—Kelly D. Brownell, UConn Rudd Center

Coalition praises new bill to stop food and beverage marketing to kids

Bill C-252 undergoing second reading debate

Ottawa, ON – May 6, 2022 – The Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition commends Patricia Lattanzio, Member of Parliament for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, as she moves Bill C-252 to second reading today in the House of Commons. Private Member’s Bill C-252 aims to prohibit the marketing of food and beverages high in sugar, saturated fats or sodium to children under 13 years of age. Read more…

Sugary Drinks : Over-consumed, unnecessary and harmful

June 7, 2021 – Coalition Poids, The Childhood Obesity Foundation and Heart & Stroke call on all levels of government to follow the lead of Newfoundland and Labrador and introduce a sugary drinks levy that can be reinvested in prevention as a promising strategy to bring greater health and economic benefits. Read more…

Pediatricians urge Senate to pass children’s health bill: Bill S-228 will die if not passed by end of session

June 17, 2019 – The Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition is calling attention to a communication to Senators in The Hill Times urging the Senate to pass Bill S-228 before the end of the current parliamentary session. Known as the Child Health Protection Act, the bill would restrict the marketing of foods and beverages high in sugar, salt and saturated fat to children 12 and under. The communication, an urgent plea to senators, was placed by the Canadian Paediatric Society (which is an endorsing organization of the Coalition) and the Pediatric Chairs of Canada. Read more…

Canadians served opportunity to have their say about healthy eating

July 30, 2017 -Heart & Stroke welcomes the recent announcement by Health Canada to launch two public consultations as part of its Healthy Eating Strategy. These consultations will allow Canadians to have input around two public policy areas that can significantly support them to be able to make healthy food choices for themselves and their families. Read more…

16 and Under Campaign

May 23, 2017 – To rally support for federal legislation intended to restrict food and beverage marketing to all children in Canada, Heart & Stroke’s next step in its fight against marketing to kids uses a new (and entirely fictional) advertising agency called “16 and Under” that exclusively creates ads targeting kids. Read more…

The food and beverage industry is marketing our children and youth to death

February 1, 2017 – New research reveals advertising restrictions urgently needed to protect kids and support parents. Read more…

Celebrity Chef and Health Experts Stir Up Excitement Around Childhood Obesity

October 7, 2016 – Jamie Oliver and Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition identify areas for immediate action. Read more…

Health coalition gives proposed legislation to protect children a gold star

September 28, 2016 – The Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition applauds Senator Nancy Greene Raine for introducing legislation prohibiting food and beverage marketing to children. Read more…

Heart and Stroke Foundation applauds Senate committee recommendations

March 1, 2016 – The Heart and Stroke Foundation praises the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology for its comprehensive report on obesity and important nutrition policy recommendations that will have a real impact on the health of Canadians. Read more…

Health organizations tell food industry: pick on someone your own age

February 24, 2016 – Co-led by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Childhood Obesity Foundation, the Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition says the time has come to protect children and to support parents to make healthy decisions for their families. Read more…

85% of Canadian parents want government to place limits on advertising unhealthy foods and beverages to children

May 9, 2013 – Approximately 20 health organizations have joined together in light of Canada Health Day 2013 to support of a policy statement calling for a restriction on marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children. Read more…

Other Stop M2K News

Get kids in the kitchen early to promote healthy eating

Chronicle Herald

Except:
Gallant is one of many trying to combat fast food, overly packaged food, overly processed food and the onslaught of fast-food marketing that is making Canada’s kids unhealthy.

Andrea Curtis, Toronto author of Eat This!: How Fast-Food Marketing Gets You to Buy Junk (and how to fight back), a playful, paperback guide for kids aged nine to 12, says one in three Canadian children is obese or overweight. “And we have skyrocketing rates of diabetes,” adds the mother of two teen boys.

“Fast-food marketing isn’t the only reason we have this crisis but if we can protect kids and educate them about healthy eating and have them ask key questions about fast-food marketing, fast food and sugary treats, we can change the toxic food environment.”

Read full article…

Young Canadians! Take action against #Marketing2Kids

Fellow Young Canadians,

Did you know? Junk food and drink brands have been targeting us since we were little—even before we knew what advertising was. They know if they hook us on their brands while we’re young that we could become lifelong customers. What’s worse is that over 90% of foods marketed to us are high in salt, sugar or fat.

The food and beverage industry invests billions into marketing research and strategies to manipulate our food preferences. This must stop.

Right now Canada’s federal government is developing regulations to protect kids aged 12 and under from unhealthy food advertising on television and digital media. Unfortunately, draft regulations were not published in June 2023 as the government promised. As a result, we may not get regulations at all. At the same time, the House of Commons and the Senate are debating Bill C-252 —a private’s members bill that will amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children). It completed its second reading in the Senate on May 30th, 2024, where it was then referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology.

Right now Canada’s federal government is debating Bill S-228—a pivotal bill that would prevent food industry from marketing unhealthy foods and drinks to children 12 and under. Why is this even a thing, right? It is critical that this bill is passed.

As young Canadians, we can help support Health Canada’s regulations and Bill C-252. But we need your help. It’s time for us to speak up.

The Young Canadians Against Marketing to Kids created an advocacy toolkit to help you take action against marketing to kids in your school, community and on social media. You will find many resources you can use to show our government that Bill S-228 is extremely important to young Canadians.

Share on Social Media
You can start by using #Marketing2Kids on all social media platforms and follow @YouthAgainstM2K on Twitter! Let your community know why #Marketing2Kids matters to you. Consider tweeting the Prime Minister and your MP with examples of junk food marketing in your community.

Thank you for taking action against the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to kids! The laws and regulations we advocate for today will shape our future and the future of generations to come. It’s time to show Canada this is an issue young Canadians care about.

What If We Didn’t… advertise food to children?

Mic Network

“The ethics of advertising anything to children has been long debated; a 1986 study looked at kids’ cognitive responses to advertising, finding younger kids were much more susceptible to advertising. Part of the problem with this marketing is that kids get hooked on food that isn’t great for them. Approximately 1 in 3 American children and teenagers is overweight or obese (mirroring the ratio of their adult parents), and research has shown junk food advertising contributes to the issue. Today, experts continue to study the practice of bombarding kids with food advertisements”.

Read article here…