Anti-Advertising: The push for healthier children

A global push against soft drink companies will be launched in Australia today. The campaign urges all governments to ban soft-drink advertising directed towards children, restrict promotion and sponsorship rules, and to impose a "fitness and nutrition" tax. The "Dump Soda" campaign marks the beginning of a four-day Consumers International Congress, which is represented by a coalition of consumer advocacy and watchdog groups. The congress is focusing their efforts on leading companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, believing that these companies have "flooded the global market with liquid candy," and should be regulated.

As described in Push to Ban Soft Drink Ads for Young, an article in The Sydney Morning Herald, the US Center for Science and Public Interest, along with the International Association of Consumer Food Organizations, Corporate Accountability International, Safe Food International, and various other consumer groups from around the world are joining together. They are all calling for a complete ban on media and merchandising efforts directed at children under age 16.
The organizations are also calling for more responsibility from soft-drink companies, suggesting that they be forced to allocate money (through taxes and sponsorships) that will be used towards government funded nutrition education programs or fruit and vegetable subsidies.

The main focus of the conference is to establish more universal regulation when it comes to advertising towards children. The current level of government control differs between countries, but most are moving towards a system that limits the advertising of unhealthy foods towards children.

Coca-Cola has accused the campaign and its organizers of playing a blame game, aiming their efforts at an easy target. In their defense, Coca-Cola stopped promoting its products to children under age 12 in 2000 and has also voluntarily withdrawn its sugary drinks from primary schools. Interviewed by the newspaper was Coca-Cola's South-Pacific president, Gareth Edgecombe, who stressed that, "parents have told us they want education, not dictation."

Although Coca-Cola has listened to consumers and made a few changes, the problem still lies in the products they make. With the increasing concern over childhood health and obesity in many parts of the world, it is hard to hide manufacturers' attempts to sell junk food to children through product promotions and mainstream media.

The conference held today stresses that obesity and the fight against global brands is an international problem and to effect real change people must take a global approach.

The overall theme of the Consumers International Congress is Holding Corporations to Account, which aims for greater corporate accountability, transparency and responsibility. According to the congress, consumers are losing trust in companies and demand change. More than 300 delegates from around the world will take part in policy debates and workshops as well as listening to a range of renowned experts from around the world.

In addition to food marketing, the congress will also focus on unethical drug promotion, sustainability, and consumer credit and debt.

Learn more about the conference here.