Children suffer from over exposure to TV junk food ads
Parents, leading health and consumer groups have renewed calls for tougher advertising regulations, after releasing figures warning that Australian children are force fed about 2200 junk food advertisements on television per year.
The Coalition on Food Advertising to Children (CFAC), which comprises 15 prominent Australian public health groups including Cancer Council, says that children who watch just two hours of television per day see 18 hours per year of unhealthy, obesity-inducing advertisements for food such as chips, burgers, confectionery and soft drinks – the equivalent of watching junk food advertisements for three full school days.
CFAC hit back today with the launch of a new online campaign and humorous 35 second video clip that draws comparisons between junk food commercials and door-to-door salesmen touting for kids’ business.
Available at www.burgercorp.com.au, the campaign urges a government ban on unhealthy food advertisements during children’s viewing hours, and enables viewers to email the Federal Minister for Health to express their concern.
Kathy Chapman, nutritionist and Chair of CFAC, said “We shouldn’t be surprised that one in four children is obese or overweight, when our society is full of enticements to eat unhealthy food.
“I sympathise with parents attempting to encourage their kids to eat healthily when they have to compete with the country’s top ten food producers, who pump more than $375 million annually into food marketing.
The federal government’s efforts to promote healthy lifestyle messages can’t compete with the food industry, when the government is outspent six to one on marketing.”
Clare Hughes, Senior Policy Officer at Choice added: “We know nine out of ten parents support a ban on junk food advertisements targeting kids. The ShamBurger video campaign gives them a voice on this important issue.
“I encourage parents to visit the website, forward the video to friends, and join our campaign to tell the government they support a ban on junk food advertising to children,” she said.
The ShamBurger video clip was created with support from CFAC, Cancer Council, Choice, Parents Jury, Public Health Advocacy Institute WA and Obesity Policy Coalition. To view the video visit: www.burgercorp.com.au
The figures are from an international television advertising comparison study by Cancer Council NSW and University of Sydney - due for publication soon.
Shamburger background information
About Shamburger - Behind the scenes
The 35-second video clip shows a walking/talking hamburger, called ‘ShamBurger’, knocking on a home’s front door, asking to see the child of the house, then barging past the unsuspecting Dad into the house.
‘You’d never allow it on your doorstep’ then flashes on the screen, followed by footage of ShamBurger toppling backwards as he is thrown out of the house. The words ‘Why allow it on your TV?’ then fill the screen.
What is the Coalition on Food Advertising to Children?
The Coalition on Food Advertising to Children is a coalition of public health groups who agree that television food advertising is a significant threat to the future health of Australian children. CFAC undertakes a range of activities including disseminating information on the issue of television food advertising, and calling for action to improve the regulations for television advertising through grassroots, media and political advocacy.
Members include:
- Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society
- Australian Dental Association
- Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapists Association
- Australian Health Promotion Association
- Australian Medical Association
- Cancer Council Australia
- Home Economics Institute of AustraliaNutrition Australia
- Public Health Advocacy Institute of Western Australia
- Public Health Association of Australia
- Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Paediatric Branch
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
- Young Media Australia
- Ms Kaye Mehta, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, Flinders University
- Dr. Rosemary Stanton, OAM
that is exactly why the advertising companies do that- is because they know the child will believe everything they tell them. Which is a little scary if you think about it, but I agree that it is the parents responsibility to teach your children about what can happen if you eat “junk food”. I always tell mine that alittle mcdonalds every now and then is okay, but not all the time. Then I tell her about food that will make her healthy and strong. So she still like Mcdonalds, but she knows that there are better foods for her and she enjoys eating those too. But yeah, the advertising sucks,, and I think it really makes parents to out to be the bad guys if we say no, but then if we say yes all the time- the people around us will come down on us. I just always tell them no and why we can’t.Fat loss 4 idiots