The Guardian 7 November, 2007
Call to ban junk food advertising
A promise aimed at tackling child obesity has been added to Greens’ election platform. The policy calls for amendments to the Australian Broadcasting Act to ban all food advertising during children’s viewing hours; the only exception to this being that the Minister can grant an exemption if the advertisement is deemed to be in the public interest.
State education programs aimed at teaching children about health and nutrition are fruitless while 99 percent of food adverts showed during children’s TV time-slots are for junk food.
The costs of these media advertising campaigns run into the billions but they are happily spent — because they work.
Recent polling has shown 86 percent of Australian parents want a complete ban on junk food when their kids are watching TV, yet neither of the major parties have bothered to listen; both parties voted down past Greens’ amendments to ban junk food advertising during children’s television viewing hours.
"A ban on junk food ads won’t fix childhood obesity, but along with healthy eating and regular exercise, it is an essential part of the solution", said Greens Senate candidate for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young. The Greens have also called for federal funding for measures to tackle childhood obesity in the national health budget.
"The quickest and cheapest action is for the Government to back the Greens’ ban on junk food advertising aimed at children. That would cost the government nothing.
"The next step would be positive advertising for healthy eating, targeting TV and kids’ magazines, promoted by the Government."
Already across the developed world the costs of junk food and obesity are taking their toll. Billions of dollars are spent on health problems such as cardio-vascular diseases — much of which could be prevented by strong government promotion of healthier lifestyles.
An international consumer conference in Sydney has heard that one in five Australian children now either overweight or obese. "If we take decisive action now we will not just save money, we will save lives and boost the well-being of the nation," concluded Ms Hanson-Young.