Food and beverage advertising expenditures in Canada in 2016 and 2019 across media

Abstract

Background Food and beverage advertising has been identified as a powerful determinant of dietary intake and weight. Available evidence suggests that the preponderance of food and beverage advertising expenditures are devoted to the promotion of unhealthy products. The purpose of this study is to estimate food advertising expenditures in Canada in 2019 overall, by media and by food category, determine how much was spent on promoting healthier versus less healthy products and assess whether changes in these expenditures occurred between 2016 and 2019. Methods Estimates of net advertising expenditures for 57 selected food categories promoted on television, radio, out-of-home media, print media and popular websites, were licensed from Numerator. The nutrient content of promoted products or brands were collected, and related expenditures were then categorized as “healthy” or “unhealthy” according to a Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) proposed by Health Canada. Expenditures were described using frequencies and relative frequencies and percent changes in expenditures between 2016 and 2019 were computed. Results An estimated $628.6 million was spent on examined food and beverage advertising in Canada in 2019, with television accounting for 67.7%, followed by digital media (11.8%). In 2019, most spending (55.7%) was devoted to restaurants, followed by dairy and alternatives (11%), and $492.9 million (87.2% of classified spending) was spent advertising products and brands classified as “unhealthy”. Fruit and vegetables and water accounted for only 2.1 and 0.8% of expenditures, respectively, in 2019. In 2019 compared to 2016, advertising expenditures decreased by 14.1% across all media (excluding digital media), with the largest decreases noted for print media (− 63.0%) and television (− 14.6%). Overall, expenditures increased the most in relative terms for fruit and vegetables (+ 19.5%) and miscellaneous products (+ 5%), while decreasing the most for water (− 55.6%) and beverages (− 47.5%). Conclusions Despite a slight drop in national food and beverage advertising spending between 2016 and 2019, examined expenditures remain high, and most products or brands being advertised are unhealthy. Expenditures across all media should continue to be monitored to assess Canada’s nutrition environment and track changes in food advertising over time.

Beverage industry’s advertising expenditures and airtimes in South Africa from 2013 to 2019 target children and families

“…This is consistent with findings from recent studies in Australia and Canada which show that TV advertisements account for largest share of total advertisements. 22 , 23 …”

“… 21 – 23 In fact, 90% of food and beverage advertising expenditure in Canada is for unhealthy foods, with a significant portion of these advertisements targeting children. 21 , 23 …”

“…[21][22][23] In fact, 90% of food and beverage advertising expenditure in Canada is for unhealthy foods, with a significant portion of these advertisements targeting children. 21,23 In South Africa, the consumption of ultra-processed products including SSBs increased by about 40% between 2005 and 2010. 24 As part of the measures to control SSB consumption, South Africa declared an intention to tax sugar in June 2016, and in December 2017 the draft legislation on a health promotion levy (HPL) (also known as sugar tax) was signed into law.…”

Advertising expenditures on child-targeted food and beverage products in two policy environments in Canada in 2016 and 2019

“…The advertising estimates also exclude a 15% mark-up applied by advertising agencies and as such are considered estimates of net advertising expenditures. A more detailed description of the 57 licenced food categories, the condensed categories and Numerator’s methodology for estimating advertising expenditures have been published elsewhere [ 40 ].…”

“…For restaurant meal combos, expenditures were classified as “restricted” or unhealthy if at least one of its individual food items was classified as such. Additional information on the nutrient threshold applied by Health Canada’s nutrient profile model is available elsewhere [ 40 ].…”