OneWorld.net (U.S.)

CONSUMER GROUPS AND HEALTH BODIES LAUNCH NEW CODE TO BAN JUNK FOOD MARKETING TO CHILDREN

* US$13 billion food and soft drink ad spend seen as major contributor to 177 million overweight or obese children * Cartoon characters and celebrity tie-ins targeted on World Consumer Rights Day of action on 15 March

The world federation of consumer organisations, Consumers International (CI), and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) today launched proposals to drastically restrict the scope and scale of junk food marketing to children across the globe. The coalition of consumer groups and obesity experts is calling for the International Code on Marketing of Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages to Children to be adopted by national governments, as part of the World Health Organization's (WHO) strategy to tackle obesity and diet-related disease.

Adoption of the Code would be major step in helping to protect children. There are currently 177 million children threatened by obesity related diseases. The WHO predicts 2.3 billion people over the age of 15 will be overweight by 2015.

The Code, which CI and IOTF will be recommending to the World Health Assembly in May 2008, tackles the failures of the food industry to regulate itself. Current industry self-regulatory proposals are restricted mainly to the EU and US and even the most far-reaching only cover children up to 12 years of age. CI and the IOTF believe these limitations do little to tackle the shocking increases in obesity and other diet-related diseases seen in the developed and developing world.

The major food, soft drink and confectionery multinational companies spent US$13 billion on advertising in 2006; on top of undisclosed sums on online games and social networking sites, and on cartoon character and celebrity tie-ins.

CI and IOTF will urge WHO Member Governments to accept the recommendations in the Code when the organisation undertakes its consultation on recommendations covering the marketing of food to children.

The Code targets the marketing of energy dense, nutrient poor foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt and demands:

· A ban on radio or TV adverts promoting unhealthy food between 6am and 9pm · No marketing of unhealthy food using new media (such as websites, social networking sites and text messaging) · No promotion of unhealthy food in schools · No inclusion of free gifts, toys or collectible items which appeal to children to promote unhealthy foods · No use of celebrities, cartoon characters, competitions or free gifts to market unhealthy food.

The Code is being launched worldwide on 15 March 2008, to mark World Consumer Rights Day. Over 50 national consumer groups will be undertaking campaign activities to highlight the damage done by junk food marketing and to urge government ministers to support the Code ahead of the World Health Assembly in May.

Consumers International will also mark the occasion by launching a new campaign website: www.junkfoodgeneration.org

CI Director General, Richard Lloyd, said: "It's predicted that 2.3 billion people will be overweight by 2015, so we need to take action now if we want our children to grow up free from the threat of obesity-related health problems. This includes getting governments and the food industry to take immediate responsibility for the way junk food is promoted to under 16s; not just in rich countries, but across the world."

Chair of the International Obesity TaskForce, Prof Philip James, said: "We are seeing a very dramatic rise in childhood obesity all over the world. It is vital that, as well as governments, food industry leaders support the new standards we propose which aim to curb the frequent inducements to children to become habituated to the kind of diets that contribute to this epidemic. We challenge the giants of the food and beverage industry to throw their weight behind this and demonstrate that they really do want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem."

Sue Davies, Chief Policy Officer, Which? UK, said: "With rising rates of obesity and diet-related disease escalating globally, food companies need to take a more responsible approach to the way they market their foods to children whichever part of the world they are trading in. The CI/IOTF Code sets out the approach that we hope the WHO, national governments and the companies themselves will adopt to curb unhealthy food promotions and instead help to promote healthier messages."