In France, according to health authorities, 1 in 6 children is overweight or obese. And the phenomenon is only getting worse: in the space of just 20 years (according to the World Health Organization), cases of obesity in children and adolescents have increased tenfold, with serious consequences for their health in adulthood – type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
We know the main culprits well: a sedentary lifestyle (children and adolescents no longer move enough, particularly because of screens) and junk food (chips, cakes, sweets… the famous “ultra-processed products” that you buy at the supermarket).
Precisely: in a survey published in mid-September 2023, the NGO Foodwatch denounces the influence of marketing and targeted advertising which “encourage children to eat foods that are unhealthy“.”Children are constantly encouraged to consume products that are too fatty, too sweet, too salty, influenced by the armada of marketing and advertising strategies put in place by the food industry to sell more and more.” develops the non-profit organization.
86% of “children’s” products sold in France are bad for their health!
Colorful packaging, partnerships with celebrities loved by young people, toys or figurines as gifts, competitions to win video games, consoles, concert tickets… “Children’s” brands do not skimp on marketing to seduce the youngest!
The NGO Foodwatch sifted through 228 hyper-effective “children’s” food references from the marketing side. And the results are frightening: 86% of them are bad for the health of children and adolescents, in particular because they are too fatty, too sweet and/or too salty. “[Les] parents [sont] powerless in the face of these aggressive marketing techniquesnotes Foodwatch. It is totally immoral and irresponsible when we see the consequences of junk food on the health of young people today and for their future.“
Source :Foodwatch
