ASEAN Launches Guidelines on Food Marketing to Protect Future Generation

On March 18, 2024, ASEAN Health Ministries officially launched ASEAN Minimum Standards and Guidelines on Actions to Protect Children from the Harmful Impact of Marketing of Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages (hereafter as the Guidelines) during a virtual meeting. The Guidelines mainly proposed 12 recommendations for regulating the marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages, aiming to protect the future generation among ASEAN members.

Background 

In Southeast Asia, unhealthy dietary choices including sugary, salty, and fatty foods are widely promoted through pervasive advertisements. Over 12 million children under 5 already suffer from overweight or obesity in the region, with this number expected to rise. Unhealthy weight gain increases the risk of obesity-related diseases in adulthood. To address this, with the support from United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO) and Alive & Thrive (A&T), ASEAN Member States developed the Guidelines to protect children from the harmful impact of the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages. To be more specific, these measures aim to limit the influence of such marketing and create healthier environments for children across the region.