After the policy change, junk food advertising in Chile dropped by 64 percent

Marketing restrictions in Chile helped children reduce junk food advertising on TV by 73% and overall advertising by 64%.

Junk food advertising is everywhere. From television to billboards, even children’s programming is constantly pushed with unhealthy content, with little regulation.

To solve this problem, Chile implemented a new policy that limited the advertising of junk food, which has since successfully protected children.

As a result of these marketing restrictions, as of 2016, 73 percent reduced advertising to children of regulated foods and beverages that exceed healthy levels of sugar, salt and trans fat.

Food advertisements aimed at children are now banned from television

Creative content aimed at children, such as cartoons, characters, toys or contests promoting unhealthy products, is also now banned under the country’s new laws.

As a result of this strict regulation of programs that appeal to children, there were 67% fewer unhealthy food ads on television that used creative content aimed at children.

in 2018 Chile extended this ban to a total “daytime” ban on all television between 6am and 10pm.

This meant a reduction in junk food advertising in the earlier phases of the law (2017 and early 2018) and then in 2019. – a much larger drop after a total ban during the day.

Overall, junk food advertising dropped by 64% across all TV programs and by 77% in children’s programs.

The restrictions resulted in a 77% reduction in junk food advertising in children’s programming

Creating healthier eating habits requires strict marketing regulations

in 2016 Chile introduced marketing controls to reduce childhood obesity and other health risks by creating a healthier food environment.

The new Food Labeling and Advertising Act also put warning labels on junk food packages and banned them from being sold or advertised in schools.

As one of the most ambitious regulatory frameworks in the world to combat rising diet-related diseases and rising health care costs, policy makers and public health advocates around the world have seen the effectiveness of this policy.

But the study’s findings point to the weakness of almost all government TV advertising restrictions on junk food advertising around the world: most focus on very narrow time windows or programs, exposing children to targeted junk food and drink ads for much of the day and night.

More effective protection of children from the effects of advertising

The study’s first author, Francesca Dillman Carpentier, Ph.D., said: “Based on what we saw in Chile, focusing on children’s ad content and children’s programming to reduce unhealthy food advertising to children really works. but children are simply exposed to much more than that.

“To significantly reduce the amount of junk food advertising children see, we see bold steps like Chile’s 6am to 10pm ban to be effective.” The number of junk food commercials on TV and their exposure to children has dropped significantly since Chile introduced a daytime ban on these commercials.

Using evidence from Chile on junk food advertising for new policy directions

Other studies analyzing the effects of Chile’s marketing restrictions, warning labels and school bans have also yielded promising results.

For example, a study of household grocery purchases showed a 24% reduction in calories purchased in the first year (during the slowest period of the law’s three-step dietary criteria) and a 37% reduction in sodium purchased.

Other focus groups have also shown that parents are encouraged to avoid buying foods with warning labels for their children. The findings show that students reduced their intake of sugar, saturated fat and sodium in schools.

Students reduced their intake of sugar, saturated fat and sodium at school

Additionally, in the first year of the law, marketing restrictions removed child-focused marketing strategies from almost 50% of breakfast cereals and only 15%.

Co-author and Associate Professor Lindsey Smith Taillie, Ph.D., said: “The experience in Chile has shown that strict food marketing regulations help reduce television food advertising to children.

“Looking forward, we need to figure out how to monitor and regulate the digital food marketing environment as children increasingly turn their attention to smartphones and other online content.”