Selling Happiness in a Meal: Serving the Best Interests of the Child at Breakfast, Lunch and Supper

Abstract

Following the global increase in childhood obesity, the World Health Organisation has renewed its calls upon governments to draft and implement clear policies regarding the marketing of energy-dense, micronutrient-poor foods and beverages to children. As part of such policies, two member states of the WHO, namely the United States of America and South Africa, recently increased their regulatory efforts in this regard. These measures elicited strong response from both parents and the fast food industry. The article seeks to discuss and evaluate these regulatory developments and the reaction thereto, while arguing that in an attempt to achieve a balance between the rights of all stakeholders, the best interests of the child must still at all times be considered to be paramount.

Digital food marketing to children: Exploitation, surveillance and rights violations

“…Unhealthy food marketing is also increasingly identified as a pressing children's rights concern (Garde, 2011;Mills, 2012;Handsley et al, 2014;Tatlow-Golden et al, 2016;WHO, 2016b;O'Cathaoir, 2017;Garde et al, 2017;Unicef 2018aUnicef , 2018bWHO, 2018a;Ionata et al, 2018;Unicef, 2019aUnicef, , 2019b. In 2016, the WHO ECHO Commission stated: Government and society have a moral responsibility to act on behalf of the child to reduce the risk of obesity.…”

Research on unhealthy food and beverages advertising targeting children: Systematic literature review and directions for future research

“…From the viewpoint of governance, children's rights cannot be deliberated and implemented without knowing the basic lived realities of childhood. Therefore, the policy inquiry starts by asking what is being offered to children to eat every day (Mills, 2012). Handsley et al (2014) raised a question regarding why advertisers should not consider developing children as consumers as a form of economic abuse; they strongly supported strict regulations of F&B advertising for the deterrence of its hostile impact on child health.…”