Knut-Inge Klepp, Ending Childhood Obesity in the Nordic Countries workshop, 16-17.11.2016. Nordic Welfare States and Public Health - A Need for Transformative Change? -conference.

1. Marketing of foods and non-alcoholic
beverages to children –
Self-regulation and voluntary marketing
restrictions by the food industry
Knut-Inge Klepp
Executive Director, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health/
Professor, Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
Nordic Welfare States and Public Health - A Need for Transformative Change?
Nordic Conference, Helsinki November 16-17, 2016

2. Why address food marketing to children?
• Food marketing to children is widespread
and it works
– has a negative influence on food choices and
consumption patterns
– undermines messages about healthy eating
(e.g. in school)
• Protecting children’s health and wellbeing
– an ethical imperative
– a basic human right
• A cost-effective action to reduce NCDs
• Less marketing improves the food
environment for all children
– may reduce social inequality in diet

3. WHO publications on food marketing to children
2004-2013
2006
2004
2007
2007
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013

4. FAO/WHO Second International Conference
on Nutrition (ICN2)
Declaration on Nutrition Framework for action
A common vision for global action to
end all forms of malnutrition
13. We reaffirm that: (f)
improvements in diet and nutrition
require relevant legislative
frameworks for food safety and
quality, including (…), while avoiding
inappropriate marketing and
publicity of foods and non-alcoholic
beverages to children, as
recommended by resolution
WHA63.14;
Recommendation 15: Explore
regulatory and voluntary instruments
– such as marketing, publicity and
labelling policies, economic
incentives or disincentives (…) – to
promote healthy diets.
Recommendation 40: Regulate the
marketing of food and non-alcoholic
beverages to children in accordance
with WHO recommendations

5. WHO: European Nutrient Profile Model
WHO Euro has, based on the Danish
and the Norwegian nutrient profiling
models, developed a European
nutrient profile model that was
launched in February 2015

6. WHO: Report of the Commission on
Ending Childhood Obesity

7. The impact of statutory and voluntary codes
Self-regulation:
• Industry-sponsored reports
indicate a remarkable reduction in
the promotion of unhealthy
products and children’s exposure,
while
• other authoritative sources
indicate weak or absent
reductions, or insufficient evidence
Statutory regulations:
• Statutory regulation may have the
potential to reduce children’s
exposure significantly, but are
currently insufficient to cover the
full range of opportunities for
marketing to children

8. The impact of industry self-regulation
Australia:
• “Since the introduction of
voluntary, self-regulatory industry
initiatives in Australia, the rate of
advertising of non-core foods
during children’s peak viewing
times has always been higher
among signatories than non-
signatories”
United States:
• “Findings indicated that no
significant improvement in the
overall nutritional quality of foods
marketed to children has been
achieved since industry self-
regulation was adopted”

9. Actions taken between 2010 and early 2016
• “Several UN agencies offered
useful leadership between
2010 and 2016, by providing
technical and policy guidance
to Member States.
• However, no Member State has
implemented comprehensive
legislation or enforced
mandatory regulations to
prohibit the marketing of
unhealthy food and beverage
products to young people”
• “No company has yet restricted
the marketing of unhealthy
food and beverage products
comprehensively”
Kraak et al., Bulletin WHO, 2016

10. Norway: Food and Drink Industry Professional
Practices Committee (MFU)
• Raising the awareness of the business community
regarding the challenges of marketing food and
drink to children and young people
• Ensuring compliance with the Code and
Guidance which lay down what is acceptable
marketing
• Monitoring the industry ban on marketing certain
types of food and drink to children under 13 years
• Ensuring that everyone is able to complain to
MFU about marketing activity which infringes our
Code and Guidance
• Ensuring that the anonymity of complainants is
preserved in all further processing.
• Ensuring that the complaints procedure works
well and that responses made by MFU are
published

11. MFU –
Transparent process for complains & decisions
http://www.mfu.as
Ferrero Norway (Kinder chocolate campaign) and
McDonalds (Happy Meal and www.HappyStudio.com)
are among the 13 companies that were convicted
by MFU for breaking the Code by July 2015

12. Example of a recent conviction
• The packaging design using
the Hakkebakke theme and
inserts that can be used to
make Hakkebakkeskogen
Theatre, combined with a
competition and profiling
the product on Instagram,
is regarded as marketing
specifically target children
under the age of 13, and
therefore in violation of
Section 2
• The decision is unanimous

13. Conclusion: The complaints dealt with here, are all directed
at the product itself, packaging or a general statement where
there is not used any special kid-friendly items

14. A joint Nordic monitoring protocol for marketing
of foods and beverages high in fat, salt and sugar
(HFSS) towards children and young people
Aim of the protocol:
• Establish a joint Nordic practice for
how to monitor marketing of HFSS
foods and beverages to children
and young people
• Describe how to obtain data on
marketing of HFSS foods and
beverages towards children and
young people at a given time and
also allowing for monitoring of
trends
• Evaluation, including data for
evaluating regulations and
voluntary codes implemented in
the Nordic countries
• A protocol for monitoring
marketing of unhealthy
foods and beverages in
the Nordic countries
• A protocol that can be
used in whole or in parts
• Enable comparisons
between and within the
Nordic countries
Supported by a grant from the Nordic Council

15. National survey of marketing to children in
Norwegian grocery stores (n=103)
• Extensive marketing was found on
products in the categories milk and
yoghurt, cereals, salty snacks, sweetened
beverages, chocolate and candy
• Chocolate and candy were the categories
with most extensive marketing on the
packaging
• Less marketing was seen in the
categories fruits, vegetables, and pizza
• Placement of products between hip
(approx. 90-95cm) and floor was the
most frequent for products marketed to
children
• The most frequently used marketing
types was the use of cartoon characters,
toys, animals etc., messages/design of
text and logo appealing to children

16. Digital marketing
“Children across Europe access
digital media avidly, predominantly
on mobile devices, generally
favouring social media and video
viewing sites for mixed audiences.
Brands and marketers report that
digital marketing (including for
HFSS foods) amplifies advertising
in traditional media, achieving
greater ad attention and recall,
greater brand awareness and more
positive brand attitudes, greater
intent to purchase and higher
product sales”

17. Conclusions
• The evidence-base and policy options regarding how to limit
marketing and exposure of unhealthy products to children, has
developed tremendously over the past decade
• Still, there is limited implementation of agreed upon international
recommendations both by food companies and by states
• The impact of voluntary codes appear to be limited, in part due to
lack of adherence
• To date there is little effective regulation to protect children from
digital marketing
• Regulatory bodies need to be able to hold non-compliant companies
accountable for all marketing activities across media platforms
• There is need for funding for increased monitoring and evaluation of
both statutory and voluntary action