Junk food firms still target kids

JUNK food companies are exploiting loopholes in their marketing codes to push unhealthy food on to children, new research has unveiled.

The study conducted by the Cancer Council looked at six years of complaints made about junk-food marketing to children and found industry codes were failing to protect them.

Clare Hughes, Cancer Council’s nutrition and physical activity committee chairwoman, said: “The system is failing to protect our children from junk-food marketing. Children’s exposure to high levels of unhealthy food marketing affects the food and drinks that they like, ask for, buy, and consume.

“There’s no denying that the ads we looked at were clearly targeting children, yet campaigns for products like Happy Meals, LCMs bars, KFC and Cadbury Oreo bars are slipping through gaping loopholes in the current industry codes and reaching our children every day on buses, TV and online.”

The study found advertisers exploited industry codes by using the term “primarily directed to children”, claiming that rather than only being directed to children the ad was equally of appeal to parents.