Monitoring food and beverage advertising to children: About
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Advertising to children
Children are vulnerable to advertising. Food and beverage advertising influences their:
- overall health
- food attitudes
- food preferences
- purchase requests
- consumption patterns
Most of the food and beverage ads that children are exposed to are for products that contain excess sodium, sugars or saturated fat. Research shows that diets containing too much of these nutrients are linked to a higher risk of:
- diabetes
- dental decay
- high blood pressure
- cardiovascular disease
- overweight and obesity
People living with obesity and chronic diseases are also more vulnerable to severe outcomes from infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
How widespread it is
The places where children live, learn and play are critical to their health now and in the future. Children are exposed to thousands of food advertisements every year. Food is advertised in settings such as:
- stores
- schools
- restaurants
- public transit
- recreation centres
- television and online
Advertising to children has expanded with television and digital media. Children are more connected than ever, and screen time has increased over time. The fact that many children have their own devices makes it easier to target ads at them.
What we're doing
In order to address food advertising to children, we monitor it and:
- recommend limiting children's exposure to food advertising and give tips on how to do so as part of Canada's Food Guide
- help publically funded institutions (like post-secondary institutions and recreation settings) to reduce the promotion of foods and beverages that undermine healthy eating
Related resources
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