This consensus statement has been developed by the Protect Kids from Junk Food Marketing group. These organisations are committed to improving public health by protecting children from unhealthy food and drink marketing – Cancer Society, Hāpai Te Hauora, Healthy Auckland Together, Health Coalition Aotearoa, Te Hā Oranga, the University of Auckland and the University of Otago.

Every child has the right to grow up in an environment that allows them to be healthy, no matter where they live. However, factors such as socio-economic conditions, food insecurity, and environments that promote and normalise unhealthy foods mean that for many children, achieving a heathy diet or weight is not easy or equitable. 

Aotearoa New Zealand children experience excessive levels of unhealthy food and drink marketing every day. It affects their eating behaviour, leading children to become well above a healthy weight and setting them up for a lifetime of adverse health-related and social consequences. We must put our children before food industry profits and act now to protect their health and wellbeing.

We want children to be protected from harmful food and beverage marketing. We need new laws passed to prevent children from being exposed to unhealthy food and drink marketing.

 A law that keeps kids’ environments healthy will restrict junk food marketing from:  

1. Paid marketing and sponsorship across New Zealand-based digital media.  

2. Places for children, including schools, kura, early childhood centres, playgrounds, children’s

   sports settings, and outdoor settings 500 metres around children’s educational institutions.  

3. Public services like hospitals, libraries, parks, sports grounds, pools, community centres and on

   public transport networks and facilities.

4. Broadcast media between 6am and 10pm

This does not cover marketing from small or medium businesses with under 20 employees, except where they are part of a larger franchise, or advertising unhealthy food or drinks produced by big business.  

The law will also restrict all junk food marketing from:  

1. Being sent directly to children, like flyers, emails or any other media for children.  

2. Being targeted at children, for example children’s toys, cartoon illustrations on product packaging, or promotional material, including junk-food producer branding on items for children or at children’s events.  

To protect kids from the junk food industry, the government needs to write this new law, alongside health experts, and pass it through parliament before the next election.

Background

We urgently need to take action to protect children’s health and wellbeing

We need to improve our children’s health and wellbeing. Two-fifths (40%) of New Zealand children aged 4-19 years old live with overweight or obesity 1 . This is the second highest child obesity and overweight rates across all OECD countries and is a health crisis. These statistics hide unfair inequities. Pacific children are 4.7 times more likely, and Māori children 1.6 times more likely, to live with obesity than other children 2 . Being above a healthy weight sets children up for a lifetime of health-related problems. Children who live with obesity are around 5 times more likely to have obesity as adults 3 . Adult obesity increases the risk of serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, 13 types of cancer 4 and heart disease. As well as future health risks, children with obesity are more likely to have high blood pressure, insulin resistance, breathing problems 5 , emotional distress and be subjected to bullying. All of this causes ongoing costs for the child, families and the health system 6 . Costs that are avoidable.

Children’s health is being harmed by obesity 7 and this will continue to have negative health effects as today’s children grow into adults.

Children and families are bombarded by unhealthy food and drink advertising

Every child deserves the opportunity to be healthy no matter where they live. New Zealand children are surrounded by unhealthy food and drink advertising in their neighbourhoods, classrooms and homes. They are exposed to unhealthy food and drink marketing 27 times a day – this is more than twice the amount of advertising they see for healthy products 8 . Children are lucrative markets as they have a large influence over household spending and go on to become lifetime consumers 9.

Half (50%) of the food and drink advertising within walking distance (500m) from Auckland schools is for unhealthy food and drink products and 12.8% of all bus stops within this area advertise unhealthy food and drinks. Children are consuming 15 times more unhealthy than healthy snacks when in public settings. Even though there are some school-based policies, children are still consuming 2.4 more unhealthy snacks in these settings. 

Children are particularly vulnerable to marketing. For those under four years it’s seen as entertainment and the purpose of advertising is not recognised by those less than eight years. By 10-12 years, the persuasive intent is understood but not the sales tactics 12. Adolescents also require protection, as evidence shows they continue to be negatively affected by unhealthy food and drink marketing 13. 

Products marketed and sold by the ultra-processed food and drink industry are making New Zealanders sick

Unhealthy food and drinks are typically ultra-processed, energy dense and packed full of cheap and harmful ingredients like salt, sugar and unhealthy fats 14. They are more profitable to food manufacturers and lack many of the key nutrients children need to thrive.

Unhealthy food and drink manufacturers are using marketing techniques to influence children’s eating behaviours. They are shaping what children want and ask their parents to purchase. Evidence shows that sophisticated marketing campaigns are linked to overweight and obesity rates. 

These tactics are effective with up to $17 of revenue generated for every dollar of advertising spend. Children and their families are being targeted by unhealthy food and drink manufacturers and their advertising agencies.

Māori are exposed to even more unhealthy food and drink marketing  

Māori children are exposed to unhealthy food and drink marketing around two times more than non-Māori . This is an example of the Government failing to uphold the Ōritetanga (Equity) article of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Currently many Māori are not receiving an equitable start to life due to a range of broader determinants including discrimination, employment, education, housing, healthcare and financial hardship. More than half of Māori live in deprived neighbourhoods, which is a contributing factor to persistent health inequities.

We ask that the Government takes this opportunity to actively protect all New Zealanders, particularly Māori, by legislating the food environment to reduce harm from unhealthy marketing practices. 

Children and families in low-income communities are exposed to more unhealthy food and drink marketing 

It is unethical for unhealthy food and drink companies to target people living in low-income communities. However, children living in more disadvantaged suburbs have greater exposure to food outlets and marketing than children living in less deprived neighbourhoods. This happens in Aotearoa and around the world 23.  

New Zealanders want change

There is strong public support for change, with two out of three New Zealanders supportive of tougher rules on unhealthy food and drinks marketing. The majority (78%) agree that children are exposed to too many advertisements for unhealthy food and drinks, and that this is contributing to obesity. 

Our children agree too. According to them, they’re frequently exposed to food marketing and persuaded to make purchases they know to be harmful to their health. When asked, children suggested the need for less and more ‘truthful’ advertising and greater ‘rules’ to influence exposure to unhealthy food advertising.  

What New Zealand can learn from international best practice

Food and drink marketing practices in New Zealand are governed by a self-regulatory system. Given the health crisis our children are currently experiencing; this approach is not working. The Government’s response falls far behind international best practice for food policy. and healthy food environments.

Other countries are taking action. In Chile, a series of regulations have been introduced and unhealthy food advertising to children has been significantly reduced. In the United Kingdom, all unhealthy food and drink advertising has been banned on London’s public transport network since 2019 and further bans on digital and television advertising, as well as check out aisle displays, are set to be introduced.

Without any Government action, New Zealand is failing to deliver the vision of being the best place in the world for children and young people

Government has a duty to protect, respect and fulfil children’s right to health. Regulating unhealthy food and drink marketing effectively is one way of meeting this commitment.

New Zealand was one of the first to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Essentially this states that children have a right to good health and must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity. This cannot happen when unhealthy food and drink advertising dominates children’s environments. 

There is overwhelming international consensus that children need to be protected from unhealthy food and drink marketing. In line with the views of children and parents, the WHO, Human Rights Commission and UNICEF, unhealthy food and drink marketing to children must be regulated by Government to reduce harmful impact on health. 

This is why we are calling for higher standards of how unhealthy food and drink companies market and sell their products. We must put children’s health first.