Policy & Advocacy

The massive amount of marketing for unhealthy food and drinks aimed at children and teens poses significant long-term risks to their health. Food and beverage companies disproportionately target advertising for many of their least nutritious brands to Black and Hispanic youth. In the absence of effective food industry self-regulation, advocates and policymakers are pursuing a variety of policy-driven strategies to protect all children from the unhealthy influence of food marketing.

Use the resource links below to explore policy, legal & regulatory actions to reduce unhealthy food and beverage marketing.

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Government Policies

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Industry Self-Regulation

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Healthier Kids’ Meals

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Parents’ Attitudes About Food Marketing to Children

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Rudd Summaries:

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Sugary Drink Taxes

Concerned policy makers, community leaders, and public health professionals across the country are considering a variety of policies to reduce consumption of sugary drinks, including legislation to levy excise taxes on these products. Since November 2014, Mexico and eight U.S. local governments, including Berkeley and San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Philadelphia, PA, have adopted sugary drink taxes. Research indicates that if sugary drink taxes are large enough they can reduce consumption. In addition, the public health community is calling for the revenue from these taxes to be used on obesity prevention, anti-hunger, early care and education, and health and wellness initiatives.

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Food Marketing in Schools

In 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture implemented new rules that prohibit marketing of products that do not meet nutrition standards to children and teens in schools during the school day. However, food companies continue to market sugary drink and junk food brands to children through their schools, including through branded fundraisers, “educational” materials, incentives for teachers, and sponsorships. Sales of branded “look-alike” snacks in schools also allows companies to market junk food in schools.

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