Foodwatch criticizes 10 dairy products intended for children available on the fresh shelves of supermarkets. These yogurts, cheeses and Milky desserts, although presented in an attractive way, are actually too rich in fats, sugars, salts and are highly transformed, while pretending to be beneficial for the health of children. According to the Standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning marketing intended for children, these products do not comply with the recommendations. The WHO and Public Health France has long recommended the ban on their promotion, but the political authorities have so far not followed these recommendations. For the association, this situation must change.
Children are the subject of offensive marketing
A law aimed at supervising the promotion of products that are too sweet or poor quality for children is not new. And many associations have already mounted in the niche requiring such regulation, such as the UFC-Que Choisir in 2023. So why such a reluctance on the side of the health authorities? For Foodwatch, the answer is simple: if the government fails so much to protect the health of children, it is because it undergoes pressure from industrialists.
“In the future national strategy for food, nutrition and climate (SNANC) (…), the ambitious measures supposed to protect children have been scratched from the lobbies of advertising lobbies. On this subject, the Government has persisted for several years to promote voluntary industry commitments”, Considers Foodwatch.
The agro-food giants too often continue to do marketing “which targets children for products that are too fatty, too sweet, too salty and often ultra-transformed “, specifies the organization. Result: in France, one in six children is in a situation of overweight or obesity, and may remain so in adulthood. “Among the children in overweight or obese at the age of 6, almost one in 2 children the rest in the third … and in adulthood, almost one in 2 French is overweight”, confirms the health insurance site.
Shocking figures, which do not prevent brands from continuing to offer unresolved products to toddlers. “This is why only a strong regulation, based on the nutritional profile model developed by the WHO, will truly protect children”, says Foodwatch. To challenge the ministers concerned, a petition was in fact launched. An initiative valid by Alexandra Rétion, dietician-nutritionist.
Mulbus in toddlers: “a strong signal” is necessary
Our children are used today, through ultra-transformed foods, with very sweet and very salty tastes, which develops a lasting preference for these flavors in them.
“Consequently, raw foods often seem bland, and their natural regulation of hunger and food pleasure can be disturbed. Sugar, fat and salt activate the reward and pleasure circuits in the brain, favoring frequent emotional nibbles”, reveals the expert.
These habits have physiological consequences: “They increase the risk of overweight, resistance to insulin (therefore type 2 diabetes), high hyperlipidemia and cholesterol from an early age, while causing micronutrient deficiencies, since processed foods offer a high caloric intake but little nutritional interest “, still warns the dietician.
Conclusion ? Only strong actions could move the lines, according to our expert.
“I share the idea that a clear law can constitute a strong signal to protect children, which are privileged targets of often aggressive food marketing. But it is also essential not to deprive them of pleasure: it is necessary to restore taste to raw foods and re -educate their palace. Their relearning to listen to their body sensations is just as important to develop a healthy relationship”, concludes Alexandra Retion.