Soft drinks - The Food Commission

campaign updateParent power urges retailersto curb pester powerThe Parents Jury campaign ChuckSnacks off the Checkout! was launchedin 2003 to highlight how retail displaysaffect what people buy and eat.Parents report that snacks bought onimpulse at the checkout add extra calories toa shopping basket, and can also causeconflict when children pester for productstheir parents would rather they did not eat.The campaign has rapidly gainedmomentum, and is now supported by 12 publichealth organisations, including the BritishDental Hygienists Association and theNational Oral Health Promotion Group.Parents have submitted statements ofconcern about fatty, sugary and salty snacksdisplayed at supermarket checkouts – see ourwebsite for examples.A sample of 100 of these statements hasbeen sent to supermarket bosses, tochallenge them to say what they intend to do.Over 100 checkout surveys have also beencarried out by supporters up and down thecountry. The findings show that ASDA has themost displays of unhealthy foods at checkouts,with an average 1.4 displays ofproducts per checkout. So despite itsplans to display fruit at some of itscheckouts (see page 1), ASDA still hasa very long way to go!Safeway was also found to haveconfectionary displays at 88% of itscheckouts, mostly within children’sreach. Let’s hope Safeway takesaction to remove these unhealthytemptations, especially in light of itsown survey, published in January,that announced: ‘Pester power is rife!59% of parents are pestered for treatswhen out shopping with their childrenwith chocolate and sweets gettingthe most requests (63%).’The surveys also revealed thatconfectionery at the checkout iscommon in unexpected places, suchas in pharmacies and in Mothercare.Boots was also highlighted by surveyors, withan average of 1.2 displays of products per till.Waitrose has retained its title as ‘top of theleague’. Surveyors found only one store inKate Millington, nutritionist and volunteer for theChuck Snacks off the Checkout campaign, prepares tosend statements from parents to major supermarketswhich confectionery was displayed at the endof the aisle near the tills. But in general,Waitrose continues to live up to its statedpolicy of protecting parents from pester power.BBC sheds the pounds…and then puts them on again!Research shows that the morepeople watch television, the fatterthey are. This is likely to bebecause people who watch a lotof television do not moveabout much.They may alsoeat a lot ofcalorificsnacks, bemore likely toorder take-awayfood, and may seeand respond tomore adverts for high-fat andhigh-sugar foods.The BBC acknowledgedthese relationships in an adcampaign for this year’sChildren in Need appeal. Aroadside billboard (above,right) says ‘Shed a fewpounds watching telly’.The campaign wentfurther than a jokeyreference to sedentarybehaviour. As withfund-raising for other good causes,BBC’s Children in Need has moved intolicensing deals with food companies,such as Fox’s, whose Pudsey Bearchocolate-covered biscuits nowcarry the Children in Need logo.Studies show that overweightchildren are more likely to bebullied, to have symptoms ofdepression and to have suicidalthoughts. Surely Children inNeed does not have to attachits logos to fattening foods thatwill only add to these children’sSupporters of the ChuckSnacks campaign The Allergy Alliance Healthy Eating on a Low Income Forum Bolton Primary Care Trust British Dental Hygienists Association British Association for the Study ofCommunity Dentistry Camden Primary Care Trust Consensus Action on Salt and Health Health Education Trust Hyperactive Children’s Support Group National Oral Health Promotion Group Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust UK Public Health Association■ If your organisation would like to supportthe campaign, contact us at the addressbelow and we can send more information.Tell retailers what you thinkThe more people who support thecampaign, the more likely we are topersuade supermarkets to change theirpolicies! Forms for submitting statements ofconcern are at: www.parentsjury.org.ukor write to: Chuck Snacks off the Checkout,c/o The Food Commission, 94 White LionStreet, London N1 9PF.Food Magazine 64 8 Jan/Mar 2004