Campaigners have called for a ban on the use of TV and film characters on children’s food packaging after a survey showed half the products using cartoon images were high in fat, sugar or salt.
Action on Sugar, Action on Salt and the Children’s Food Campaign found 51% of 526 food and drink products that used cartoon animations on pack to appeal to children were HFSS.
The groups called for the ban and for the compulsory introduction of traffic light nutrition labelling.
The research claimed manufacturers and retailers were deliberately manipulating children and parents into purchasing “dangerously” unhealthy products, which could encourage pester power and excessive consumption.
More than a third (37%) were found on confectionery, chocolate, cakes and ice cream. Some 34% used licensed characters even though they had a red label for either fat, saturated fat, sugars and/or salt, classifying them as unhealthy.
Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig were named as the worst character offenders, with more than half of products (57%) featuring Paw Patrol, and 50% with Peppa Pig imagery, being HFSS.
Examples included Kinnerton Paw Patrol 6 Mini Chocolate Bars with over 60% sugar and 17% saturated fat (7.2g sugar and 2.1g saturated fat/serving); Paw Patrol Milk Chocolate Coins, with 60% sugar; and Cathedral City Paw Patrol Nibbles Mild Cheese Pack, containing 1.8g of salt/100g (0.3g/bag).
Meanwhile, only 18 healthy food and drink products (such as fruit, vegetables and water) used on-pack child-friendly characters, with Lidl named as the best retailer with its Oaklands range of fruit & vegetables.
However, the majority of products in the survey did not feature traffic light nutrition labelling, which the groups said made it difficult for people to see at a glance what was healthy.
“Many of the food products exposed in our survey present a serious risk to the future health and wellbeing of children,” said Graham MacGregor, chairman of Action on Sugar and Action on Salt. “High-sugar products increase the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, various cancers and tooth decay and high-salt products put up blood pressure, which leads to cardiovascular disease later in life. The government needs to restrict the use of such packaging on unhealthy products, including marketing them to children.”
Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour Party, said he was shocked at the findings. “This research reveals the scale of irresponsibility in the industry. We’re in the midst of a child obesity crisis and companies are using cartoons to advertise their junk foods to kids. It’s unacceptable. It’s time we changed the rules to get these cartoons off our packs.”
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