Nestlé plans to halt marketing confectionery and ice cream to children under 16

28 Nov 2022 --- Nestlé has revealed that from next July it will globally ban all marketing for children below 16 years of age on certain high-sugar products. Meanwhile, a call-to-action by the European Club of Childhood Dieticians (CEDE) was issued on Nutri-Score, as D and E-labeled products have shown to be below the World Health Organizations (WHO) criteria for ultra-processed foods, based on the results from a study published in Nutrients. 

The food giant details that it will prohibit “direct advertising of confectionery and ice-cream, as well as water-based beverages with added sugar to children below 16 years of age.”

The ban will apply to all online marketing, including social media, gaming platforms, and television commercials. Nestlé also says it will not collect data on minors and will only work with influencers above 18.

“Consistent with our existing policy, we will prohibit direct advertising of confectionery, ice cream, and water-based beverages with added sugars to children below 16 years of age. This standard will be applied when children below 16 represent more than 25% of the audience. The policy reaffirms the ban on product marketing communication targeting children between 0 and 6 years of age, as per previous versions,” Marie Chantal Messier, Head of Food and Industry Affairs at Nestlé, tells NutritionInsight.

Nutri-Score failure?
The CEDE stresses that 34% of children between two and seven years old are overweight or obese in France and that there has been a visible effect of unhealthy food marketing for children. High in fat, sugars and salt and ultra-processed foods, the packaging of products for children often contains drawings or mascots that draw children’s attention.

The Nutri-Score indicator aim to reduce the consumption of Nutri-Score D and E products, especially among children. (Credit: CEDE).This is problematic as it influences food choices, the perception of products and consumption for children, parents and caretakers. 

“After almost three years of implementation, in our sample of products intended for children, only 20.75% of the references identified to bear the Nutri-Score logo,” the CEDE says. 

“Most of children’s products in our sample are Nutri-Score D and E (58.68%), with a majority proportion of D products (39.32%), even though the National Health Nutrition Program 2019 -2023 recommends using the Nutri-Score indicator to choose foods to encourage, and to reduce the consumption of Nutri-Score D and E products, especially among children.”

The study, conducted by CEDE, points out that most food marketed to children is sweet. It included 1,135 products and found that more than 97% of product packaging included drawings, and nearly 78% depicted mascots, such as heroes or cartoon characters. 

Exploitative marketing for unhealthy foods
Nearly 90% of the products contained added sugar, and 23.81% had sweeteners listed as the first ingredient. Additionally, 39 products had sugar, glucose syrup and glucose-fructose in their recipes. 

The agency also highlights that the foods mentioned are mainly breakfast items and snacks and they contain excessive sugar intake. 

There was also a high amount of products containing added salt (43.98%), such as cereal bars, breakfast cereals and biscuits, cookies, pastries and cakes. 

“Our study suggests that many prepackaged foods marketed to children do not have a good nutritional profile. The CEDE considers that measures would be desirable so that marketing elements aimed at children no longer appear on the packaging of products that do not comply with the WHO Europe criteria, Nutri-Score D and E and ultra-processed, in line with the requests from the European Consumers’ Organization,” the CEDE concludes.

Nestlé on a mission
The company says that since 2017, the sugar reduction in products has been 5.1%, and products have been fortified with iron, vitamin A, iodine and zinc. 

Nestlé says it will strive to see improved child nutrition by “coupling existing nutrition services, educational tools and recipes. These safeguards will help children and young adolescents build a solid foundation for a healthy lifestyle.”Nestlé says it will strive to see improved child nutrition by coupling existing nutrition services, educational tools and recipes.

“We do not direct marketing communication to children zero to six years of age. In our new Marketing Communication to Children policy, when directing marketing communication to children 6 to below 16 years of age, this can only be permitted with products that achieve the Nestlé Policy Nutrition Criteria,” says Messier. 

“We will not direct any marketing communication to children below 16 years of age, irrespective of the Nestlé Marketing Communication to Children Policy Nutrition Criteria being met, for the following categories: sweet and savory biscuits, sugar confectionery, chocolate confectionery, water-based beverage products with added sugars and ice-cream products,” Messier notes.

Recently, the company announced that it would ban global marketing of infant formula up to six months old. Messier confirms that this will be implemented from January 1, 2023.

By Beatrice Wihlander