Packaged food brands are employing eye-catching designs, playful characters, and savvy marketing strategies to entice children towards snacks that are anything but nutritious, according to Bite Back, a youth activist group on a mission to reduce children's exposure to unhealthy foods.
In an upcoming interview with ESM: European Supermarket Magazine, scheduled for publication in our September/October edition, Bite Back representatives Molly Lewis, aged 17, and Dev Sharma, aged 19, urge industry leaders to leverage their influence to rethink and reform marketing strategies that contribute to childhood obesity.
"We want to take the onus off the individual, because all that does is blame consumers for buying these products, which is totally inaccurate," says Lewis. "When you look at the environment we're surrounded by, we're all bombarded by junk food marketing. It's on every shelf — the colours, the cartoons, the cute, cuddly messaging — it's completely aimed at young children. And we can't escape that."
Fuel Us, Don't Fool Us
In May, the UK-based group presented a report to the House of Lords' Food, Diet and Obesity Committee. The report, entitled Fuel Us, Don't Fool Us: Sweet Deception — Are Food Giants Using Child-Appealing Tactics Responsibly?, revealed alarming statistics: 78% of foods with child-targeted packaging were unhealthy, and 67% of products featuring characters were similarly unhealthy.
"When you speak to companies, their response is often, 'We're in the business of indulgence'," adds Sharma. "They're struggling to accept their role in creating a generation that's at risk of ill health."
Lewis and Sharma were also among the speakers at The Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit (pictured), which took place in Chicago in June.
Government Action
Though the election of Keir Starmer as British Prime Minister – the Labour leader recently pledged to create the "healthiest generation of children ever" – offers some hope, these words need to be backed up with actions.
"This issue isn’t singular," says Sharma. "There’s not one pill that you can take that ends it. It’s an issue that transcends global boundaries, but also so many different walks of life. These companies are embedded everywhere, so it’s not just one issue; we have to tackle it from a holistic angle."
The full interview with Molly Lewis and Dev Sharma will feature in ESM's September/October edition, due to be published in late September 2024. To subscribe to ESM, click here. To learn more about Bite Back's efforts, visit www.biteback2030.com.
