EUPHA – European Public Health Association, which has brought together institutions, associations and public health experts since 1992 – publishes an appeal to protect children and adolescents from marketing predatory of foods with poor nutrient profiles, or 'junk food' (junk food).
1) World Obesity Day 2023
'Changing Perspectives: Let's Talk About Obesity' is the theme assigned to the eighth World Obesity Day, March 4, 2023. Changing perspectives means correcting misconceptions, prejudices and stigmatizations of individuals, to carry out effective shared strategies.
Projections to 2035 indicate a doubling of childhood obesity (compared to 2020), 1,9 billion individuals (1 in 4) affected by obesity, and an overall healthcare cost of $4,32 trillion. Changing the rules today is necessary to address the public health crisis.
2) Childhood obesity e marketing junk food predator
WHO Europe (2022) showed the epidemic prevalence of obesity in the Old Continent, defined 'an obesogenic environment' because of marketing aggressive of junk food and its shelf dominance over foods with balanced nutrient profiles. (2)
Studies Scientific reported by WHO Europe have shown how the marketing of junk food via an influencer e vlogger, social media e advergame have an immediate impact on the behavior of children and adolescents.
The minors must be protected and the European Commission, which already in the Green Paper on the prevention of obesity (2005) identified this 'serious public health problem'has not yet taken any measures. (3)
3) EUPHA. Protect children and adolescents with mandatory rules
It's urgent introduce strict European legislation on marketing to kids. The self-regulation of Big food has already failed, binding rules are needed. (3) And to this end it is essential to clarify two essential concepts:
- the protection must be extended to every person under the age of 18. EUPHA proposes to adapt a broader term for 'child' in this sense, although perhaps the concept of 'minor' could better express this broad age group,
- unhealthy foods must be identified in accordance with the nutrient profiles recommended by WHO Europe. Therefore in line with the FOPNL NutriScore scheme (Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling), in fact also approved by EUPHA. (4)
3.1) What rules in the EU
16 organizations of public health, together with EUPHA, reiterate to the EU the need for legislative reforms based on scenario data and scientific evidence. It is therefore necessary:
- stop the marketing of unhealthy foods between 6:00 and 23:00 in the media,
- ban the marketing of unhealthy foods on digital media,
- stop food brands from sponsoring cross-border events unless they can demonstrate that the sponsor are not associated with unhealthy foods,
- prohibit the use of techniques of marketing that use children and adolescents to promote unhealthy foods, especially on food packaging. (5)
4) Childhood obesity and overweight, Europe macro-region. Data in a nutshell
The shared data da WHO Europe confirm the urgency of adopting the measures requested by EUPHA. The last (fifth) cycle of the European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) made it possible to collect data on 411.000 children in 33 countries of the European macro-region, between 2018 and 2020. Some ideas:
- one in three children (29% aged 7-9) live with overweight or obesity,
- overweight and obesity are more common among boys (31%) than girls (28%).
- 75% of children aged 6-9 eat breakfast every day (only 3% never do it), but
- less than half of children (43%) ages 6-9 eat fresh fruit every day. And 11% of children never eat vegetables (or less than once a week).
5) Provisional conclusions
'We need to better policies that create a new environment in which children and adults can choose better diets and lead active and healthy lives in every country in the WHO European Region.
Also to reduce the load of non-communicable diseases – including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer – which cause the 90% of all deaths in the area' (Kremlin Wickramasinghe, WHO Europe, prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs).
Dario Dongo
Footnotes
(1) Sabrina Bergamini, Dario Dongo. Obesity, childhood obesity e marketing. Relationship WHO Europe 2022. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 16.6 22 ..
(2) Alessandra Mei. Public health, non-communicable diseases and prevention. EUPHA compared with WHO. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 9.11.22
(3) Dario Dongo, Giulia Caddeo. Obesity, all to be redone. Civil society leaves the Brussels platform. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 6.7.19
(4) Marta Strinati. The EU public health, EUPHA, indicates NutriScore as the best option of FoPNL. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 20.3.23
(5) World Obesity Day 2022
Call to protect children from the marketing of nutritionally poor food: Time for an effective regulatory framework. EUPHA extension. https://eupha.org/repository/Joint%20statement_World%20Obesity%20Day_marketing_final.pdf
(6) WHO (World Health Organization) Europe. Childhood obesity: five facts about the WHO European Region. 30.3.23
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
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