MARKETING OF JUNK FOOD

 SAY NO TO JUNK FOOD- MAKING PARENTS RESPONSIBLE IN FIJI

Say No to Junk Food: Making Parents Responsible in Fiji has been Consumer Council’s campaign since 2008 to stop the marketing of unhealthy food to children.  This campaign was part of a global effort from Consumers International (CI) following a World Health Assembly resolution calling on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to develop a set of recommendations on the marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages to children.

The Council launched its campaign on two issues: sale of unhealthy food to children despite the provision of a School Canteen Guidelines put in place by the Ministry of Health and absence of a standard on advertising in Fiji to prohibit TV advertising  of ‘unhealthy’ food to children.

The Council for the first time produced a special DVD on school canteen with messages targeting schools, children and parents. The special DVD produced has been distributed widely to schools as an educational and advocacy tool on the junk food issue. The issue of child nutrition has been on Council’s work agenda for the last two decades where it has consistently participated in national efforts to combat child obesity and non-communicable diseases. One of the major results was seen in 2009 when Ministry of Health implemented the School Nutrition Policy and Canteen Guidelines.    

Globally Consumers International also proposed a strong code to prevent all types of promotion of unhealthy food and drink products to all children under the age of 16. In May 2010, the 63^rd World Health Assembly agreed on recommendations calling on member states to develop and implement policies to restrict advertising to children of uhealthy food and drink. Consumer Council continues to campaign against marketing of junk food to children.