The Obesity Pandemic: Consumer Action

18th Consumers International World Congress29th October – 1st November 2007

Marimuthu NadasonFederation of Malaysian Consumers Associations

How serious is the obesity pandemic? 1

WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health

One of the issues identified is food marketing, advertising, sponsorship and promotion: ‘messages that encourage unhealthy dietary practices or physical inactivity should be discouraged and positive, healthy messages encouraged’.

What is the relevance to consumers?2

Childhood obesity3

Common marketing sleight of hand includes:-

Television commercials

Free toys

On-pack promotions

Celebrity/cartoon character endorsements

Interactive websites

Sponsoring school activities

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Consumers International

CI is working with its member organisations to bring about the end of marketing of unhealthy food products to children.

Many CI members are leading national campaigns in their country on this issue and are working with consumers, industry and governments to tighten regulations in order to protect children.

CI is currently carrying out a policy questionnaire on marketing to children among consumer groups globally in order to map legislation and regulation on national level.

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What does the consumer movement want to see happen?

1. International action – a World Health Organization code on the marketing of unhealthy food to children.

2. The focus must be unhealthy food, such as food high in fat, sugar and/or salt.

3. All children deserve equal protection.

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…continued

4. All types of marketing, advertising and promotions should have restrictions applied to them.

5. Consumers want independent nutritionists to determine what products are “healthy” or “unhealthy” and not rely on companies.

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HIGHLIGHTS:HIGHLIGHTS:

CI members’ activities worldwide

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CHOICE - Australia

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Programs and activities:-

CHOICE has been working on the need to strengthen TV advertising regulations.

CHOICE Food for Kids is a website where kids' foods and drinks are reviewed against nutrition criteria and award the relevant traffic light to indicate whether a product has high, medium or low levels of total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium.

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www.choicefoodforkids.com.au 11

El Poder del Consumidor - Mexico

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Programs and activities:-

El Poder del Consumidor have been particularly looking at the marketing of Kellogg and Nestlé and this summer they successfully campaign for a Kellogg TV advert to be taken off the air for misleading claims, in particular about the skills children would develop if they ate the cereal high in sugar.

El Poder del Consumidor have been asking consumers to email their congress representative to ask them to ban TV advertising of unhealthy food

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Which? – United kingdom

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Programs and activities:-

Which?’ s campaign helped ensure the UK TV regulator OFCOM introduced a ban on the advertising of junk food during TV programmes of appeal to children under 16 years old.

Which? is campaigning for measures to include packaging and websites as well as TV advertising. They’ve published a report “Cartoon Heroes and Villains”, which showed that the vast majority of food promotions using cartoons were for unhealthy food products.

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Which? Cartoon Heroes and Villains report, Aug 2007

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Consumer Education and Research Centre – India

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Programs and activities:-

CERC has a prepared a draft code of advertising and proposed an Advertisement Standards Regulatory Commission. The code evolved out of a series of workshops around the country, bringing all stakeholders on a common platform. The participants included representatives from industry, advertisement agencies, the media, and the Government, NGOs and consumer organisations.

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In conclusion…19

Thank you

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