Abstract
Objective: This study reviewed international trends in regulation of the marketing of foods and beverages high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) to children and discussed challenges for developing policies to promote healthy dietary habits of children.
Methods: Countries were classified into 3 categories according to their policies for the regulation of the marketing of foods and beverages with HFSS to children. The categories were legislation, government guidelines, and self-regulation, as reported by the World Health Organization, Consumer International, and the International Association for the Study of Obesity. Regulations in the UK, Korea, and the USA were compared with respect to characteristics such as authority of entities, definitions of children, contents of regulation, and definition of HFSS foods and beverages.
Results: Children under 12 years old were common targets for marketing regulation in all 3 countries. It was common to define rules for or ban the use of characters or provision of free toys. TV advertising, broadcasting time, and contents of advertisements shown during children's TV programs were regulated. However, definitions of HFSS foods and beverages differed between countries.
Conclusion: It appeared to be standard practice to regulate marketing which encourage children under 12 years old to purchase foods and beverages with HFSS. The definition of HFSS foods and beverages differed between the countries examined in this study. It is therefore necessary to evaluate the impact of policy regulation on children's dietary habits and consider additional policies to promote healthy lifestyles for children on a global scale.
