More than half of the television advertisements and online content on food analysed by the Directorate General of Health (DGS) highlighted unhealthy foods, according to information released on Friday.
Data from the first evaluation report on the impact of the law that in 2019 restricted food advertising aimed at children under 16 years of age indicate that one in five television advertisements and content on the websites of the brands analysed had “content attractive to children”.
Regarding the advertising of foods with an “inadequate nutritional profile,” the document states that more than 65% of the advertisements/contents analyzed in television and online contexts had a nutritional profile that did not meet the criteria defined by the DGS.
Data from the inspections carried out in this assessment suggest a “greater concern for the digital environment”, since around 80% of the violations of the Law detected were carried out online.
While some of these identified advertisements/contents may be complying with the provisions of the Law (…), it is clear that Portuguese children continue to be exposed to advertising and a wide range of stimuli for the consumption of foods with an inadequate nutritional profile.
The most advertised food product categories or those in which the most violations have been detected by the General Directorate of Consumer Affairs correspond to products with an “inadequate nutritional profile”, such as Cakes and pastries, snacks, juices, ice creams, chocolates and prepared meals. or ready to consume, which does not meet the criteria defined by the General Directorate of Health.
The report, which will be made public this Friday in Lisbon, has been prepared by the working group set up to evaluate the impact of this law, which is coordinated by the DGS and includes representatives from the Directorate General of Consumption (DGC), the Directorate General of Education (DGE) and the Directorate General of Food and Veterinary Medicine (DGAV).
Speaking to Lusa, the director of the National Program for the Promotion of Healthy Eating, Maria João Gregório, highlights the importance of evaluating public measures: “We must not only implement measures, but have the capacity to monitor them.evaluate and propose suggestions for improvement so that we can achieve exactly the results we want.”
As regards the nutritional profile of foods, experts highlight some positive data: between 2019 and 2022, the percentage of food products that meet the nutritional profile criteria defined by the DGS increased, particularly in the categories of solid and liquid yoghurts, breakfast cereals and flavoured milks.
“These data may suggest that The law appears to be playing an important role in encouraging the reformulation of food products.”by encouraging, in particular, the reduction of salt and sugar content in foods,” the document states, recalling, however, that other measures, such as the tax on sugary drinks, may also have contributed to this result.
The report also concludes that advertising of foods with an inadequate nutritional profile “continues to be widely used” and that advertisements/content presenting elements attractive to children were frequently identified.
The data collected also suggests that the restrictions set by law are being complied with for the most part, but they remind us that “investment is being made in areas, channels and strategies that are not yet regulated or are less monitored.”
“It highlights sponsorship, the use of age verification systems to access website content, the ‘claim’ that the content is not aimed at minors under 16 years of age, but rather content aimed at a different audience, and brand marketing,” it says.
Legislation published in 2019 restricted advertising of foods and drinks with high energy values, salt, sugar and fat – such as some soft drinks or crisps, for example – in schools, cinemas, television programmes and applications aimed at under-16s.
Source: Observadora
