Misleading food advertisements are a problematic issue for many countries because it directly affects the healthy behavior of the population, especially children. Moreover unhealthy food habits of misled consumers are a risk factor for many chronic diseases emerging in the country.
A survey in the USA, found that 97.5 percent of the food commercials appearing are for unhealthy foods. Many are nutritionally empty and artificially additive-filled, creating generations of children who are sick with diseases such as adult-onset diabetes, cancer obesity and many other complications, which lead to heart disease. Situation can be applied for Sri Lanka as many new-coming advertisements are promoting unhealthy eating.
The food manufacturers pay lot to advertising agencies to create extremely effective advertisements that will positively excite children and other family members about their foods. The colors, the music, the timing, the placement, the script, the visuals, the messages are all designed to drive the demand whatever is being sold on the television. But the ministry of health and other health care institutions cannot afford that much, and compete with the manufacturers to promote healthy eating.
On the other hand these unhealthy food items are highly available in the market (eg: cakes, pastries, sausages, soft drinks etc.), convenient to prepare, tasty and attractive than locally available nutritious healthy foods.
The reasons for these food items become unhealthier are, they contain highly refined materials (eg; white wheat flour, sugar) with empty calories and high amounts of fat and no functional properties (eg; fibre, antioxidants etc) as in naturally available foods. Also to improve the taste, texture, flavour and to preserve for long lot of chemicals are added. Many chemicals used in food industry are found to be cancerous or partially toxic.
Manufacturers always claim these foods provide most of the nutrient requirement thereby convenient for growing children to fulfill their need. They claim, because they add some vitamins and minerals to those foods and label as enriched. However a food cannot be categorized as healthy by just adding nutrients. Can we justify any food containing high fat, carcinogens, and many toxins as a healthy food just because some nutrients are added?
Recently telecast advertisements in Sri Lanka for milk powder, sausages, noodles, margarine etc. tend to impress the consumers by exaggerating the few benefits of these foods and hiding the potentials oh health complications. They recommend sugar and chemicals added food drinks, sausages and processes food items as regular major component in the diet. Further these advertisements focus on children and show unrealistic attainments that are possible after consuming these food items. (eg: able to jump very high and lift people and big weights, after eating cheese, run faster after taking Milo).
Diet-free, low-fat, shape-up and more lines are attached to foods that may be better choices for overweight adults but not for growing children. Child viewers are likely to become confused about which foods are in fact healthy.
In some situations manufactures express naturally occur qualities in food to impress the consumers. Ex: emphasis on “Cholesterol Free” in plant origin foods. It is not done by the manufacturer but the consumer may suggest that is a health benefit of the particular food.
Policies on advertising and labeling include the requirements of the food for being claimed as healthy. However in the industry health claims are uncontrolled and they claim anything which can increase the consumer demand. To defeat the overwhelmed power of the manufactures, consumers should be educated well.
Evidence showed that educating children about foods, the healthy and unhealthy products, help children to make better food choices. Explain them the truth about the candy cereals, sugary drinks, sausages and fast foods in the market and let them know those make them fat and ruin their childhood with many complications. Further parents can keep children busy with activities that do not include television. By this right message can be sent to children even when advertising does not.
A survey in the USA, found that 97.5 percent of the food commercials appearing are for unhealthy foods. Many are nutritionally empty and artificially additive-filled, creating generations of children who are sick with diseases such as adult-onset diabetes, cancer obesity and many other complications, which lead to heart disease. Situation can be applied for Sri Lanka as many new-coming advertisements are promoting unhealthy eating.
The food manufacturers pay lot to advertising agencies to create extremely effective advertisements that will positively excite children and other family members about their foods. The colors, the music, the timing, the placement, the script, the visuals, the messages are all designed to drive the demand whatever is being sold on the television. But the ministry of health and other health care institutions cannot afford that much, and compete with the manufacturers to promote healthy eating.
On the other hand these unhealthy food items are highly available in the market (eg: cakes, pastries, sausages, soft drinks etc.), convenient to prepare, tasty and attractive than locally available nutritious healthy foods.
The reasons for these food items become unhealthier are, they contain highly refined materials (eg; white wheat flour, sugar) with empty calories and high amounts of fat and no functional properties (eg; fibre, antioxidants etc) as in naturally available foods. Also to improve the taste, texture, flavour and to preserve for long lot of chemicals are added. Many chemicals used in food industry are found to be cancerous or partially toxic.
Manufacturers always claim these foods provide most of the nutrient requirement thereby convenient for growing children to fulfill their need. They claim, because they add some vitamins and minerals to those foods and label as enriched. However a food cannot be categorized as healthy by just adding nutrients. Can we justify any food containing high fat, carcinogens, and many toxins as a healthy food just because some nutrients are added?
Recently telecast advertisements in Sri Lanka for milk powder, sausages, noodles, margarine etc. tend to impress the consumers by exaggerating the few benefits of these foods and hiding the potentials oh health complications. They recommend sugar and chemicals added food drinks, sausages and processes food items as regular major component in the diet. Further these advertisements focus on children and show unrealistic attainments that are possible after consuming these food items. (eg: able to jump very high and lift people and big weights, after eating cheese, run faster after taking Milo).
Diet-free, low-fat, shape-up and more lines are attached to foods that may be better choices for overweight adults but not for growing children. Child viewers are likely to become confused about which foods are in fact healthy.
In some situations manufactures express naturally occur qualities in food to impress the consumers. Ex: emphasis on “Cholesterol Free” in plant origin foods. It is not done by the manufacturer but the consumer may suggest that is a health benefit of the particular food.
Policies on advertising and labeling include the requirements of the food for being claimed as healthy. However in the industry health claims are uncontrolled and they claim anything which can increase the consumer demand. To defeat the overwhelmed power of the manufactures, consumers should be educated well.
Evidence showed that educating children about foods, the healthy and unhealthy products, help children to make better food choices. Explain them the truth about the candy cereals, sugary drinks, sausages and fast foods in the market and let them know those make them fat and ruin their childhood with many complications. Further parents can keep children busy with activities that do not include television. By this right message can be sent to children even when advertising does not.
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