Marketing unhealthy food to children in Asia Pacific - Consumers ...

Executive summaryThe World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that2.3 billion people, almost one third of the globalpopulation, will be overweight by 2015. While everycontinent has to face up to the health consequences andeconomic repercussions of this preventable catastrophe,Asia is arguably facing the greatest challenge.Overweight and obesity rates are rising faster in SouthEast Asia than anywhere else in the world. With apredicted 27.5% rise in overweight children in the regionbetween 2005 and 2010 1 , every contributing factorneeds to be urgently addressed. This report comes at ahighly significant time.While personal responsibility for maintaining a healthyand active lifestyle is important, governments and theconsumer industries must also be held to account for thesignificant role they need to play. None more so than intheir duty to young people.As other eminent studies have shown, an overweight orobese child is far more susceptible to be obese and sufferfrom related health issues later in life. Action now canprevent immense costs in the future - for individuals andsociety as a whole.However, as this study will demonstrate, the pervasivemarketing of unhealthy food to children by the world’sleading food and soft drink manufacturers threatens toundermine efforts to tackle obesity. From highlysophisticated Internet promotions, to the direct appeal ofcelebrity and cartoon character endorsements; globalbrands are influencing the food preferences of pre-teenand teenage consumers and undermining any positivemessages that young people are receiving about healthylifestyles.As detailed in this report, the scale and reach of thismarketing effort is astonishing. In Malaysia, for instance,KFC’s Chicky Club (a promotion tool for the fast foodchain’s kids meal) is now the biggest kids club in thecountry.Equally, the levels of unhealthy ingredients in popularproducts in the region should not be underestimated.According to the standard used in this report, sugar levelsare considered to be high if there is 15g per 100g, yet insome countries we found Kellogg’s Frostie’s thatcontained over 40g per 100g. Nestlé’s MILO Energy Barcontains over 25g of saturated fat per 100g, yet anythingover 5g is considered to be a high level.This report shows that, to date, the response fromgovernments and companies in this region falls far shortof what many believe is needed. Malaysia and Thailandwere found to have the strongest regulation in theregion, however there are still plenty of worryingexamples of marketing to be found in these countries.Other countries have even further to go, with a completeabsence of on-package nutritional information in India,to near non-existent laws in Nepal.This problem, and the fight against it, is a global one.Consumers International (CI), our national memberorganisations and our allies in the health sector havebeen leading the call for a global ban on the marketingof unhealthy food to children through the WHO. Whilesome global food and soft drink companies have madelimited national, regional and international ‘pledges’ tocurtail their marketing, many are half-hearted,inconsistent efforts to deflect the real commitmentsneeded globally, across the entire sector.It is time for governments and industry to accept theargument that a global standard for the regulation offood marketing to children would give companies clarityand consistency, as well as the best possible incentive todevelop healthy products for children.Executive summary7