2023-09-13 12:17:00
The NGO has screened more than 200 drinks and foods, most of which are too fatty, sweet or salty and which should not be the subject of targeting young people.
By Clément Machecourt
© JEAN-MICHEL DELAGE / Hans Lucas via AFP
Published on
NDon’t eat too fatty, too sweet, too salty. The holy trinity for eating better may be displayed, in very small form, on television advertisements or recited on the radio, but the observation is implacable. One in six children is overweight or obese in France, recalls Foodwatch, which unveiled its investigation into the marketing of “junk food” which targets young people.
Overexposure to “aggressive food marketing and ” which has serious consequences on the health of adolescents, whose probability of remaining obese as adults is 50% to 70%. The NGO targets groups such as Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s and Danone in particular.
READ ALSOWhy obesity is gaining ground in France
“Obesogenic environment”
Like countries like Norway, Chile, Spain and Canada, Foodwatch is calling for France to more strictly regulate , instead of relying on the voluntary work of the companies concerned. Colorful packaging, friendly mascots, attractive games… everything is good to encourage children, who “grow up in an obesogenic environment”, to want these products.
A 2019 report from the Court of Auditors on the prevention and management of obesity judged that the self-regulation of food aimed at children “was not very effective”. Although the law prohibits food during programs dedicated to young people on television, children spend more and more time in front of other screens such as touchscreen tablets or smartphones.
READ ALSOExposure of children to screens: “We need to change family habits” Foodwatch also denounces partnerships made with personalities followed by adolescents. In June 2023, Oasis in collaboration with the rapper Jul broadcast the music video “Tropical” on social networks (11 million views). “I don’t drink water, I’m at the Tropical Oasis,” sings the Marseillais in particular. Another example with Monster Munch chips, which launched the “Monster Munch Crazy Galaxy Quest” with the Minecraft and Roblox video games.
More than 200 products analyzed
In 2007, the groups Burger King, Coca-Cola, Danone, Ferrero, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Mars, Mondelez, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever made “voluntary” commitments to make their marketing more “responsible”, recalls the NGO . It was the birth of the EU Pledge, signed by 23 companies, which marked the end of for children under 13, “except for products that meet the nutritional criteria of the “White Book” that they designed it themselves. »
Out of 228 foods and drinks analyzed by the NGO, only 10 pass the nutritional profile test defined by the WHO. “These voluntary commitments are insufficient and ineffective,” says Foodwatch, which calls for marketing restrictions aimed at children up to 18 years old.
READ ALSOShould we (really) trust the Nutri-Score?
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