December 2016 Board Meeting - Support for Federal Legislative Ban on all Food and Beverage Marketing that is Targeted toward Children and Youth Resolution

Issue

The practice of marketing unhealthy food and beverages to children remains pervasive, despite years of voluntary industry self-regulation¹. Federal legislation that bans all forms of commercial food and beverage marketing to both children and youth is required to adequately protect this vulnerable population.

Background

Young children, under the age of six, are unable to distinguish between truth and marketing claims². As a result, marketing to this age group is deceptive and unethical. Even as children and youth begin to understand the persuasive intent of marketing, they remain vulnerable to commercial influence because of their underdeveloped ability to control impulses and resist the emotional appeal of advertising². Accordingly, federal legislation that protects children and youth from commercial marketing of foods and beverages that can harm their health is just and essential to public health.

The majority of marketed food and beverages are calorie-dense and low in nutritional value. Frequent consumption of these foods and beverages, including sugar sweetened beverages, has consistently been linked to excessive weight gain and suboptimal nutrient intake among children and youth. A complete ban on child-focused food and beverage marketing will help decrease demand, and ultimately consumption, of these unhealthy food products³. This type of legislation has been credited for Quebec’s lower rates of childhood obesity and reduced fast food intake⁴. Quebec imposed legislation in 1980 that restricts marketing to children⁵. Recognizing the importance of restricting marketing to children, the World Health Organization released a report in 2010 urging governments worldwide to take action to reduce childhood exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising⁶. In Canada, several non-government organizations have developed policy recommendations to address this practice.

The most recognized of these policy recommendations is The Ottawa Principles⁷ developed by the Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition in collaboration with many of Canada’s leading health and research experts. The Ottawa Principles, have been endorsed by the Association of Local Public Health Agencies, the Canadian Pediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada, and the Ontario Society of Nutrition Professionals in Public Health, in addition to many other respected organizations.

This past October, Canada’s Health Minister, Jane Philpott, announced Health Canada’s intention to introduce new restrictions on commercial marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children⁸. It was also announced at this time that Health Canada is reviewing Private Member’s Bill S-228⁹, which was tabled in September by Senator Nancy Greene Raine. This bill, if passed by both houses, would prohibit food and beverage marketing to children under the age of thirteen.

Proposed Motion

Whereas The Honourable Federal Health Minister, Dr. Jane Philpott, has recently announced plans to introduce restrictions on marketing unhealthy food and beverages to children, and

Whereas there is an existing set of policy recommendations called The Ottawa Principles to guide regulations on marketing food and beverages to children. These recommendations, developed by the Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition, are endorsed by a number of organizations including the Association of Local Public Health Agencies, the Canadian Pediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada, and the Ontario Society of Nutrition Professionals in Public Health, and

Whereas children remain vulnerable to the effects of marketing well into their teenage years and, therefore, require unique protection from commercial influence throughout adolescence, and

Whereas Ontario’s 2013 Healthy Kids Panel report, No Time to Wait: The Healthy Kids Strategy¹⁰, recognized the introduction of food and beverage marketing restrictions as a key strategy to address childhood obesity in the province, and

Now therefore be it resolved that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health supports federal legislation prohibiting all forms of commercial food and beverage marketing to children age sixteen years and younger to provide the most protection for children’s rights, health, and well-being, and

FURTHER THAT the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health fully endorses the policy recommendation and associated Ottawa Principles developed by the Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition, and

FURTHER THAT that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health supports the recently announced plans to introduce new restrictions on marketing food and beverages to children as part of the federal Healthy Eating Strategy and urges Health Minister, Dr. Jane Philpott, to ensure these restrictions are in-line with the Ottawa Principles and are implemented as soon as possible, and

FURTHER THAT the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health supports Private Member’s Bill S- 228, tabled in September by Senator Nancy Greene Raine, with the amendment to apply the proposed marketing restrictions to children age sixteen years and younger (opposed to less than 13 years old), and

FURTHER THAT this resolution be shared with the Federal Health Minister, local Members of Parliament, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, local Members of Provincial Parliament, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Association of Local Public Health Agencies, Ontario Boards of Health, Ontario Public Health Association, Senator Nancy Greene Raine, Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition, Dietitians of Canada, Ontario Society of Nutrition Professionals in Public Health, and local community partners.

1. Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition - Why self-regulation doesn’t work, accessed December 2016
2. Yale Rudd Centre for Food Policy & Obesity - Older but still vulnerable: All children need protection from unhealthy food marketing, 2014
3. Sadeghirad, B., Duhaney, T., Motaghipisheh, S., Campbell, N. R. C., and Johnston, B. C. (2016) Influence of unhealthy food and beverage marketing on children's dietary intake and preference: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Obesity Reviews, 17: 945–959. doi: 10.1111/obr.12445.
4. Dhar, T. and K. Baylis (2011) Fast-Food Consumption and the Ban on advertising Targeting Children: The Quebec Experience, Journal of Marketing Research, 48: 799-813. doi: 10.1509/jmkr.48.5.799
5. Government of Quebec - Advertising Directed at Children under 13 Years of Age, 2012
6. World Health Organization - Set of recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children, 2010
7. Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition - The Ottawa Principles, 2016
8. Health Canada - Healthy Eating Strategy, 2016
9. Senate of Canada - Bill S-228 Child Health Protection Act, 2016
10. Healthy Kids Panel- No Time to Wait: The Healthy Kids Strategy, 2013