Case study of industry lobbying on junk food marketing to children

Over the past several years, public health and children's advocates have been raising the alarm regarding the problem of junk food marketing to children. In the U.S., four federal government agencies came together to propose voluntary, science-based guidelines for the food industry to follow to improve children's health. A storm of protest and lobbying campaign ensued, ultimately resulting in the federal government backing down. While a few European nations do restrict how children can be marketed to, there are increasing global concerns about children's exposure to junk food messages. And yet no international response has emerged to address this serious threat to children's health. This presentation will describe the U.S. experience of massive industry lobbying as a cautionary tale to other nations for what they may be in for in attempting to regulate junk food marketing to children.