Now it should be over

Minister of the Interior and Health Sophie Løhde says:

“Children are bombarded with advertising for unhealthy food and beverages, and it helps push for an unfortunate development where it becomes more difficult to make the healthy choices in everyday life. It is especially on the digital platforms that children many times daily, among other things, through influencers, games and competitions are exposed to advertising for chips, soda and fast food. Healthier eating habits and thus also preventing obesity and associated sequelae. ”

The government’s proposal comes on the basis that food companies have violated the food industry’s own code not to target advertising for unhealthy foods for children under 13. The companies had used influencers in their advertising campaigns that had many children under 13 among their followers.

According to the World Health Organization, WHO, there are strong signs that marketing of unhealthy foods affects children’s preferences, choices, procurement and intake.

Facts

High consumption of unhealthy food and beverages can lead to developing severe overweight, which increases the risk of developing at least 13 different types of cancer, such as breast cancer and colon cancer.

More and more Danes are being overweight. Projections show that 2 out of 3 among the adult population will have overweight in 2045 if the current development continues and every third will have severe overweight.

Overweight of school age is associated with significant increased risk of continued overweight in adulthood and sequelae in adulthood.