Health Canada said cabinet will detail draft regulations this spring to impose a ban on junk food advertising to children on television and the internet, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “Industry self-regulation is not enough to protect children,” said Health Canada in a briefing note. “That is why this government remains committed to implementing mandatory restrictions on the advertising of certain foods to children to protect this vulnerable population.”Regulations will permit fast food ads on radio, billboards, movie theatre screens and sponsorships of minor sports leagues by restaurant chains. Health Canada said the policy will form the basis of draft regulations that will be published in spring 2024 for public consultations. The ban would apply to TV and digital media. Children’s foods subject to the ban were not defined. It admitted regulations will target items that “contribute to excess intake of sodium, sugar and saturated fat."This initiative is separate from Bill C-252, which passed the House of Commons in October. Bill C-252 is now pending in the Senate and would grant it authority to restrict any advertising of foods with more than prescribed levels of sugar, saturated fats, or sodium to children under 13 years old. The House of Commons passed a private Liberal bill in October by a vote of 208 to 115 to ban junk food advertising to children. READ MORE: Children’s junk food advertising ban passed by MPsAdvertisers argued the ban would result in an annual cost of $1 billion in lost revenue. “It is a practice we want to see stopped,” said Liberal MP Patricia Lattanzio (Saint Leonard-Saint Michel, QC). Health Canada acknowledged unnamed studies suggest elementary school age children are exposed to about 1,733 food ads on TV, which translates to 33 per week and close to five per day for the average child. It said television and internet ads had the widest reach. To appeal to children, it said advertisers employ various strategies. “For example, they feature striking graphics and visual design, including cartoons, use child humour and fun themes, link promotion of their products to incentives such as free toys and feature movie and sports celebrities popular with children,” it said. “In addition, behavioural tracking and targeted advertising allows companies to reach children with more precision in digital media.”
