Marketing of Foods and Beverages to Children and Youth


Why is marketing of food and beverages a concern?

Canada's Food Guide explains the importance of:

  • Being aware of food marketing

        • the many forms marketing can take

        • how food marketing can affect your food choices

        • the benefits of being aware of food marketing

        • how to be aware of food marketing when making food choices

  • Limiting kids' exposure to marketing

        • why kids are susceptible to food marketing

        • the benefits of limiting kids' exposure to food marketing

        • how to limit kids' exposure to food marketing

Marketing is a sophisticated, big business, with millions of dollars spent on influencing food choices. These videos highlight the difficulty involved in making healthy choices when we are living in an environment where the healthy choice is often not the easy choice.

Background Information & Evidence

This Primer from the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness explains the impacts of marketing on children and youth, identifies common marketing strategies and explains how to support efforts to address marketing in communities.

This report from Heart & Stroke examines how industry is marketing unhealthy food and beverages directly to children and youth, and how this is affecting their preferences, choices, relationships and health. Also, check out the Heart & Stroke position statement on Restricting Food and Beverage Marketing to Kids.


Advocacy & Legislation

The Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition is a Canadian advocacy group for the restriction of food and beverage marketing to children.

Legislation