Canada to Restrict Food Advertising Targeted at Children

On April 25, 2023, Health Canada announced to seeking comments on a policy update on restricting food advertising primarily directed at children. Comments can be submitted via [email protected] by June 12, 2023. Details are as follows:

Background

On the one hand, children are increasingly exposed to food advertising across various media platforms and settings. During the pandemic, the exposure becomes heavier due to the increasing usage of digital media and screen time. On the other hand, advertisers spend a significant amount of money on food advertising in Canada, with most appearing on television and digital media. Restrictions on advertising unhealthy foods to children are part of the Healthy Eating Strategy to support parents and caregivers in giving healthy meals and snacks. Limiting children's exposure to unhealthy food advertising can promote healthier eating habits and reduce diet-related health concerns.

Details of Proposed policy

Item	Content
Target population	Children under 13 years old.
Scope of restrictions	Television and digital media, including: websites social media mobile applications broadcast television email and messaging services video and audio streaming services online games and virtual reality programs
Ads subject to restriction	Ads primarily directed at children for certain foods. Brand ads (where no identifiable food is shown or referenced by name) are excluded. To assess if an ad is primarily directed at children under 13, following factors should be considered: Factor 1: The nature and intended purpose of the medium where the ad is communicated Factor 2: Whether the advertisement targets, or is reasonably expected to appeal particularly to, children Examples of how to determine are provided in the appendices.
Foods subject to restriction	Foods with added sodium, free sugars or added fat that exceed the "low in" nutrient content claim thresholds for sodium, sugars and/or saturated fat, such as: regular soda most cookies, cakes, pies and sweets pudding and ice cream chocolate and candies juice most sugar-sweetened cereals instant sugar-sweetened oatmeal most cheeses sugar-sweetened yogurt frozen waffles bagels
Foods exempted from restriction	Foods that have no added sodium, free sugars, or added fat, such as: whole or cut vegetables and fruit whole grains, like plain barley, popcorn, quinoa, brown rice and oats plain milk and yogurt plain protein-rich foods, such as beans and lentils, nuts, nut butters and eggs Other foods that are "low in" sodium, sugars and saturated fat, such as: prepackaged foods, such as dry pasta and low sodium crackers
Enforcement	Possible enforcement measures include a complaint mechanism, monitoring, inspections, compliance letters, and even prosecution and fines.