A review of research commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found that food promotion is having an effect on children's food preferences, purchase behaviour and consumption.
The report, Does Food Promotion Influence Children? A Systematic Review of the Evidence, was produced for the Food Standards Agency by Professor Gerard Hastings and his team at the University of Strathclyde Centre for Social Marketing.
Professor Hastings said: This is a comprehensive and extremely thorough review of evidence on this important and complex issue. It reaches a number of significant conclusions about the link between promotional activities and children's eating behaviour.
"In particular, it concludes that advertising to children does have an effect on their preferences, purchase behaviour and consumption, and these effects are apparent not just for different brands but also for different types of food."
The review also concluded that the diet advertised to children is less healthy than the recommended one and is dominated by the so-called Big Five: confectionery, savoury snacks, fast-food chains, soft drinks and pre-sugared breakfasts cereals.
Pressure group the Food Commission has welcomed the review, but has said action is needed. "This report is a call to action," said Kath Dalmeny, policy officer at the Food Commission. "Children are already eating too much fat, sugar and salt, yet we allow them to be systematically targeted with advertising for unhealthy foods. The FSA's review provides evidence...that advertising encourages children to choose unhealthy foods and to pester their parents for them."
The FSA itself concluded: "The debate should now shift to what action is needed and specifically how the power of commercial marketing can be used to bring about improvements in young people's eating."
The agency said it will draw on the report to inform and promote open public debate and will be hosting a series of meetings involving a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in, or concern about, the promotion of food to children. This will include a meeting of leading academics to discuss the review findings, and a public meeting to debate the issues.
The FSA board will then consider the outcomes of the public debate, and discuss the options available. It anticipates the process will take some six months.
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