Group Urges Ban On Using Cartoon Characters On Kids’ Junk Food Packaging

A new survey has revealed that more than half of supermarket products for kids are unhealthy, prompting calls for cartoon characters to be removed from junk food packaging.

The Obesity Policy Coalition surveyed 186 packaged foods with cartoon character promotions that are meant to attract children, and it found that 52 percent of these were classified as unhealthy by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion calculator.

Almost 90 percent of kids’ snack bars, or 26 out of 30 products, were deemed unhealthy.

Among these are unhealthy ice creams, cheese snacks and kids’ breakfast cereals that “lure” children through packaging that use cartoon characters.

Foods containing high levels of saturated fat, sugars and sodium typically fall under the unhealthy category.

At least 27 percent of Australian children are overweight or obese.

OPC Executive Manager Jane Martin said that despite the number, it’s “shocking” that manufacturers deliberately create “pester power” to boost sales.

“Children are naturally drawn to fun, colourful characters on food packaging in the supermarket, and food companies are fully aware of this,” Ms Martin said. “They know that children have an incredible amount of power over what their parents buy.”

She suggested that there is a need to extend and strengthen existing junk food marketing regulations to restrict the use of cartoon characters on products targeting children. “Peak health bodies, such as the World Health Organization, recognise that restricting junk food marketing to children is a vital step in improving children’s diets and slowing our serious obesity problem,” she added. “Urgent action is required to protect our children from the plethora of junk food promotion that surrounds them.”

The Australian Food and Grocery Council says parents also have control over what they feed their children. “Parents are best placed to make the right food choices for their kids, and they have a role in using their purchasing discretion to determine what foods they purchase,” a council spokesperson said.

Source: Au.news.yahoo.com