A new study published in Public Health Nutrition examining the snack food environment in South African supermarkets reveals that ultra-processed, high-sugar, and high-sodium snacks are overwhelmingly available and aggressively marketed to consumers. Conducted by researchers at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, this […]
A new global review of school food policies published in Advances in Nutrition found that only 16% of countries worldwide have national policies restricting food marketing in schools, and only 25% have national policies restricting in-school sales of foods high in nutrients or ingredients of concern outside school meal programs. A mere 12% of countries […]
In a new perspective piece in PLOS Medicine, Global Food Research Program researchers Barry Popkin and Francesca Dillman Carpentier and alum Fernanda Mediano Stoltze reflect on the recently released World Health Organization (WHO) guideline, “Policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing.” The authors highlight several strengths of the updated guidelines, which […]
Research from Colombia that examined food advertising and marketing tactics used on television (TV) has found that children were frequently exposed to advertising that used emotional appeals such as characters, cartoons, games, or suggestions of fun or excitement to promote unhealthy foods. Girls were more likely than boys to see these emotional appeals, as were […]
The majority of breakfast cereals in South Africa feature child-directed marketing strategies on their packaging, according to a new study in Public Health Nutrition. In an analysis of over 200 breakfast cereals, researchers also found that breakfast cereals with child-directed marketing contained significantly more total sugar and less fiber than cereals without child-directed marketing. South […]
Chilean policies aimed at reining in unhealthy food marketing are succeeding in protecting children from the onslaught of television advertisements (TV ads) for these products, according to new research. The country’s multi-phased regulations, which began in 2016, have led to a 73% drop in children’s exposure to TV ads for regulated foods and drinks (those […]
A new study published in the Journal of Public Health Research has found that in South Africa, sugar-sweetened beverage manufacturers spent USD 191 million (ZAR 3.7 billion) advertising SSBs across different media from 2013 to 2019. The bulk of this was spent on television (TV) advertising, particularly during children’s and family viewing times. Researchers from […]