Food companies are employing unethical tactics such as incorporating bright colors and cartoon characters to entice children into craving junk food, as indicated by a report from campaign group Bite Back.

Bite Back, a charity and advocacy organization led by chef Jamie Oliver, enlisted nutrition experts to assess 262 sweet food products available in the UK. These products were manufactured by the ten largest food companies, with packaging designed to appeal to children.

The group has alleged that food manufacturers deliberately utilize packaging designed to captivate young minds, aiming to boost the sales of unhealthy food products.

Research conducted by Action on Salt, a consortium of food experts affiliated with Queen Mary University of London, revealed that 78% of the examined products were classified as unhealthy due to high levels of fat, salt, or sugar. Among these, 67% featuring a character were categorized as unhealthy. Additionally, 80% of the products utilized vibrant colors, playful patterns, and engaging lettering to capture children’s attention.

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Bite Back discovered that businesses employ child-attractive packaging to market unhealthy products to children. This includes brands such as Kinder Surprise, M&Ms, Randoms, and Monster Munch Giants, all of which feature colorful, child-friendly wrappers on products with high levels of salt, sugar, and fat.

Bite Back’s research revealed that, according to analysis conducted by the University of Oxford, for seven out of the ten businesses examined, over two-thirds of their packaged food and beverage sales in 2022 comprised products categorized as high in fat, sugar, or salt (HFSS), thus deemed unhealthy.

It further stated, “Two businesses derive the majority of their food and beverage sales from unhealthy products. Only two out of the top 10 businesses generate less than a third of their sales from unhealthy products. Moreover, the top five categories of food and beverage products by sales value include chocolate, savory snacks, reduced sugar soft drinks, regular soft drinks, and ice cream – none of which align with the recommendations of the Eatwell Guide.”

Jamie Oliver remarked, “Whether it’s employing fun characters, vibrant images, or novel shapes, these savvy companies opt for them because they understand their appeal to young minds. This tactic… is just another method companies use to inundate children with unhealthy junk food.”

A House of Lords inquiry into ultra-processed food, diet, and obesity uncovered that all 58 child-appealing products made by Mondelēz were unhealthy. Similarly, all 22 products from Ferrero contained significant levels of fat, salt, or sugar. Furthermore, Mars, PepsiCo, and Kellogg’s were identified as selling numerous products with child-enticing packaging that are deemed unhealthy. Strikingly, none of Danone’s children-targeted products were found to be unhealthy.

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James Toop, the Chief Executive of Bite Back, proposed that ministers implement new regulations to curb these “sinister tactics” employed by junk food giants, cautioning that we are “unwittingly heading towards a preventable health crisis.”

Companies such as Mondelēz have refuted allegations that their marketing targets children, contending that their products are primarily intended for adults and parents. They dispute the assumption that colorful packaging inherently appeals to children.

Advisors have recommended tighter regulations on food packaging and advertising to tackle childhood obesity, suggesting the implementation of a 9 pm watershed for advertising unhealthy products.