Restrict Food and Beverage Marketing

What is marketing to kids?

Food and beverage marketers target our kids in many effective ways, including:  

• cartoon characters on sugary breakfast cereals
• product placement in-store at a child’s eye level
• TV commercials on children’s programming
• product placements in children’s movies, cartoons or TV shows
• sponsorship of kids’ programs and educational materials
• online on websites or social media or in games and apps 

Why do we need to restrict marketing to kids?

Most food and beverage marketing to kids is for unhealthy foods and beverages, often ultra-processed foods high in salt, sugars and saturated fat. For example, more than 50 million food and beverage ads appear on the top 10 children’s websites each year, and over 90% of them are for ultra-processed foods, like soft drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, cookies and chicken nuggets.

In children aged 9 to 13 years, ultra-processed foods account for nearly 60% of their calories. This type of eating is not part of a healthy eating pattern in Canada’s Food Guide and is linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke and cancers.

New tools, such as Canada’s Food Guide and front-of-package nutrition labels will help parents make healthier choices at the grocery store, but this information won’t stop the constant pressure on parents or influence on kids that result from the marketing onslaught.

Most Canadians (71%) support the federal government restricting food and beverage companies from marketing unhealthy food and beverages to children under 13. 

So, how can we protect kids’ health?

The federal government can keep their promise to restrict #Marketing2Kids.

Introduce regulations restricting the marketing of food and beverages high in sodium, sugars, and saturated fats to children under 13 years (Canada Gazette 1) by Fall 2023 as committed to in Health Canada’s Forward Regulatory Plan for 2022-2024. The promised marketing to kids’ restrictions will protect kids from manipulative marketing strategies used to push unhealthy products and will support parents to make better food choices for their kids.

In parallel, we encourage MPs and Senators to support and vote in favour of Bill C-252. Passing this bill could enable stronger regulations.