Research shows that consumers (adults and children) are not properly protected against advertisements for unhealthy food. The advertising code falls short. Is banning a solution?
Foodwatch director Nicole van Gemert (client of the study) says that the report contains enough arguments to introduce or tighten up legislation. “We have to curb this advertising monster. Foodwatch wants a strong advertising law as soon as possible instead of a weak advertising code.”
State Secretary Maarten van Ooijen (Public Health) is not unsympathetic to this. He says he is ‘exploring a number of legal options in the food environment’. That doesn’t sound very specific yet.
A quick blow would be to ban commercials for proven unhealthy foods. It helped for smoking. Because now more people die from the consequences of an unhealthy diet than from smoking. Especially because a lot less people smoke, since commercials are banned.
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