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Nutrient Profiling and Child-Targeted Supermarket Foods: Assessing a “Made in Canada” Policy Approach

Author

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  • Charlene Elliott

    (Department of Communication, Media, and Film, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • Natalie V. Scime

    (Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

Abstract

Marketing unhealthy food and beverages to children is a pervasive problem despite the negative impact it has on children’s taste preferences, eating habits and health. In an effort to mitigate this influence on Canadian children, Health Canada has developed a nutrient profile model with two options for national implementation. This study examined the application of Health Canada’s proposed model to 374 child-targeted supermarket products collected in Calgary, AB, Canada and compared this with two international nutrient profile models. Products were classified as permitted or not permitted for marketing to children using the Health Canada model (Option 1 and Option 2), the WHO Regional Office for Europe model, and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) model. Results were summarized using descriptive statistics. Overall, Health Canada’s Option 1 was the most stringent, permitting only 2.7% of products to be marketed to children, followed by PAHO (7.0%), WHO (11.8%), and Health Canada’s Option 2 (28.6%). Across all models, six products (1.6%) were universally permitted, and nearly 60% of products were universally not permitted on the basis of nutritional quality. Such differences in classification have significant policy and health-related consequences, given that different foods will be framed as “acceptable” for marketing to children—and understood as more or less healthy—depending on the model used.

Suggested Citation

  • Charlene Elliott & Natalie V. Scime, 2019. "Nutrient Profiling and Child-Targeted Supermarket Foods: Assessing a “Made in Canada” Policy Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-12, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:4:p:639-:d:207994
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Charlene Elliott, 2008. "Marketing Fun Foods: A Profile and Analysis of Supermarket Food Messages Targeted at Children," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 34(2), pages 259-274, June.
    2. Charlene Elliott, 2012. "Packaging Health: Examining "Better-for-You" Foods Targeted at Children," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 38(2), pages 265-281, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sofía Rincón-Gallardo Patiño & Fabio Da Silva Gomes & Steven Constantinou & Robin Lemaire & Valisa E. Hedrick & Elena L. Serrano & Vivica I. Kraak, 2021. "An Assessment of Government Capacity Building to Restrict the Marketing of Unhealthy Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverage Products to Children in the Region of the Americas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-17, August.
    2. Christine Mulligan & Anthea K. Christoforou & Laura Vergeer & Jodi T. Bernstein & Mary R. L’Abbé, 2020. "Evaluating the Canadian Packaged Food Supply Using Health Canada’s Proposed Nutrient Criteria for Restricting Food and Beverage Marketing to Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Christine Mulligan & Monique Potvin Kent & Laura Vergeer & Anthea K. Christoforou & Mary R. L’Abbé, 2021. "Quantifying Child-Appeal: The Development and Mixed-Methods Validation of a Methodology for Evaluating Child-Appealing Marketing on Product Packaging," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-23, April.

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