Stakeholder interactions with the federal government related to Bill S-228 and marketing to kids in Canada: a quantitative descriptive study

Abstract

Background: Canadian federal restrictions on food marketing to children (children's marketing) were proposed in 2016 as Bill S-228, the Child Health Protection Act, which subsequently died on the parliamentary table. This study quantified the interactions (meetings, correspondence and lobbying) related to Bill S-228 and children's marketing by different stakeholders with the federal government. Methods: Interactions between all stakeholders and government related to children's marketing and Bill S-228 (Sept. 1, 2016-Sept. 30, 2019) were analyzed. These included the "Meetings and correspondence on healthy eating" database, detailing interactions between stakeholders and Health Canada related to nutrition policies; and Canada's Registry of Lobbyists, reporting activities of paid lobbyists. We categorized the interactions by stakeholder type (industry, nonindustry and mixed), and analyzed the number and type of interactions with different government offices. Results: We analyzed 139 meetings, 65 lobbying registrants, 215 lobbying registrations and 3418 communications related to children's marketing and Bill S-228. Most interactions were from industry stakeholders, including 84.2% of meetings (117/139), 81.5% of lobbying registrants (53/65), 83.3% of lobbying registrations (179/215) and 83.9% of communications (2866/3418). Most interactions (> 80%) in the highest-ranking government offices were by industry. Interpretation: Industry stakeholders interacted with government more often, more broadly and with higher ranking offices than nonindustry stakeholders on subjects related to children's marketing and Bill S-228. Although further research is needed to analyze the nature of the discourse around children's marketing, it is apparent that industry viewpoints were more prominent than those of nonindustry stakeholders.

Corporate political activity in the context of unhealthy food advertising restrictions across Transport for London: A qualitative case study

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Designing legislative responses to restrict children’s exposure to unhealthy food and non-alcoholic beverage marketing: a case study analysis of Chile, Canada and the United Kingdom

“…Includes marketing techniques such as free food or toys, games, and prizes associated with food and beverage products. Canada [ 57 , 63 , 70 ] Child Health Protection Bill (Bill S-228) amending the Food and Drug Act Introduced in Senate 2016 Failed final assent in 2019 Up to 13 Added saturated fat - A total of 2 g saturated fatty acid (SFA) per reference amount (RA) or serving of stated size, whichever is the greater* and ≤ 15% energy from the SFA. Added sodium - 140 mg per RA or serving of stated size whichever is the greater or 140 mg per 50 g of the product if the RA is ≤30 g or 30 mL Sugar - 5 g per RA or serving of stated size whichever is the greater or 5 g per 50 g of the product if the RA is ≤30 g or 30 mL The thresholds are equivalent to the “low in” thresholds for the nutrient content claims “low in saturated fat”, “low in sodium” and “low in sugars”.…”

The role of food packaging on children's diet: Insights for the design of comprehensive regulations to encourage healthier eating habits in childhood and beyond

“…The introduction of comprehensive packaging regulations cannot be expected to be an easy task. Efforts by governments to introduce such regulations have faced fierce opposition globally, mainly in the form of opposition from the food industry and trade challenges (Ares, Antúnez, Cabrerar, & Thow, 2021;Dorlach & Mertenskötter, 2020;Julia & Hercberg, 2016;Mulligan et al, 2021;Vandenbrink et al, 2020). In particular, research has shown that the food industry engages in corporate political activity to promote deregulation (Ares, Antúnez, Cabrerar, & Thow, 2021;Julia & Hercberg, 2016;Mialon et al, 2020;Vandenbrink et al, 2020).…”