AUSTRALIA | Cancer Council Australia and a coalition of public health leaders have called on the Government to take action on unhealthy food marketing aimed at children.
The Australian government has been urged to respond to a feasibility study on options to limit unhealthy food marketing, as new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data revealed one in four Australian children and adolescents (aged 2–17) have been living with obesity or are overweight.
Following a Preventive Health Roundtable convened by Dr Sophie Scamps MP, a coalition of public health leaders, including Cancer Council Australia, has united to release a joint statement highlighting that Australian children have been bombarded by the marketing of unhealthy food and drinks online, across social media, gaming platforms, sport sponsorships, retail settings and more.
The joint statement called for comprehensive new laws that will reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food and drink marketing in all the places they live, learn, play and spend their time.
Living with obesity or being overweight significantly increases the risk of 13 different types of cancer, including breast (post-menopause), bowel, kidney, liver, endometrial, ovarian, stomach, thyroid, oesophagus, gallbladder, pancreas, multiple myeloma and prostate (advanced) cancers.
Cancer Council Australia’s CEO, Jacinta Reddan, said the Australian Government needed to move swiftly to better protect children and adolescents from the normalisation of unhealthy foods and drinks through marketing and advertising, which interferes with parents' best efforts to encourage healthy habits.
“The reality is children today are more likely to be living with obesity than previous generations, highlighting the need for the Australian Government to respond to the feasibility study and move forward with measures to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing,” she said.
“You only need to watch some adverts about the FIFA World Cup to see how junk food companies are targeting children through popular sporting events; it's time to blow the whistle on junk food marketing to protect children’s health.”
Cancer Council Australia believes children should be able to grow up in an environment that supports healthy choices, not one that sells them on products that put their long-term health at risk.
Implementing government regulation to protect children from the marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks is a key priority in Cancer Council Australia’s obesity policy.
More global news here
