News Medical Life Sciences
Researchers from the Department of Communication and Social Psychology at the University of Alicante (UA), warn about the advertising of ultra-processed food aimed at children by popular YouTubers in the form of challenges and contests. Read more
The southern Mexican state of Oaxaca has banned the sale of sugary drinks and high-calorie snack foods to children – a measure aimed at curbing obesity. The bill puts sugary items into the same category as cigarettes and alcohol. “It’s important to finally put the brakes on this industry, which has already sickened our country and our children,” said Magaly López Domínguez, the Oaxaca lawmaker who presented the bill. “[The industry] gets into the most remote corners of the state” – known for its mountainous topography – “where there’s often not even medicines, but there’s Coca-Cola.” Read the article here
CBC British Columbia
Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies, the federal NDP health critic, introduced the School Food Program for Children Act on February 4. The bill would require the minister of health to develop a national school food program for all Canadian children at little or no direct cost to children and their families. “The last time the federal government seriously discussed implementing a national school food program was during Second World War,” Davies said. “So I think it’s long past time that we started taking a look at this. Read more
CBC PEI
A new healthy food program was rolled out at some P.E.I. schools on Monday February 3. The pilot project is the first step in the province’s promise to have a lunch program in place for students across the Island next fall. Organizers say there is a focus not just on healthy foods, but also reducing waste and sourcing food locally. The pilot programs will be offered on a pay-what-you-can model with a maximum price of $5 per day. Read more
CBC News
With Parliament set to open Dec. 5, a group of advocates is hoping the federal government will support a national school food program based on the new Canada Food Guide. Canada is the only G7 nation without such a program.There was some political interest from federal parties throughout the last election, the Liberals had a national food program in their spring budget before the election, and the Green and New Democratic parties also had it in their platforms. Read the article here.
CTV News
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States found added sugars in the daily diets of 61 per cent of babies (aged six to eleven months) and 98 per cent of toddlers (aged 12 to 23 months), according to a new study published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Read the article here
Sacramento Bee
Raffi featured in The Sacramento Bee discussing respecting young children and not exploiting their inability to understand marketing tactics
In recent years, Raffi has turned down “a movie deal, TV shows and commercial endorsements after learning they would be directly marketed at children”
Sample Tweet: .@Raffi_RC “[children are] not old enough to understand what they’re being pitched,” he said. “If you respect young children — if you respect anyone — you don’t exploit them”. Stop #Marketing2Kids #BillS228
Vancouver Sun
The Globe & Mail