Regulate food Environment

One health advocate is calling for the government to step up and regulate the environment where children are being exposed to unhealthy foods, beverages and its advertising.

This is the view of Policy Advisor, Healthy Caribbean Coalition, Nicole Foster, who spoke to the Barbados Advocate recently.

Her comments were in response to a press release from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), which indicated that legislation in Chile has been effective in reducing consumers’ sugary-drink purchases and children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing and advertising.

Foster added that children are being targeted in commercial marketing. However, she explained that in the South American country, foods with front-of-pack labels that are high in fat, salt and sugar cannot be sold in schools.

She also highlighted how the legislation addressed radio and television advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages, which target young audiences at specific times when they are more engaged in that media.

Foster outlined that the science is there which shows the effects of this particular marketing on children. Making reference to the work of Sir George Alleyne and his role on the World Health Organisation (WHO) Commission on ending childhood obesity, she noted the power and exposure being used to target children in commercial marketing.

She added that based on the tracking being conducted by Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), that the country is not in a good position as it relates to children being exposed to marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks.

“The level of exposure to marketing in our schools, in terms of access to the schools, whether it is through the calendars, through the pencils, through the sponsorship of school activities, through the provision of certain school activities, school bags, school books whatever it is. We are seeing a level of penetration in our schools in terms of marketing to children that we don’’t really see at quite that level in the rest of the region,” said Foster.

Policy Advisor of Healthy Caribbean Coalition, Nicole Foster told the Barbados Advocate that there is a need for comprehensive approaches to the problems of obesity. She explained that people will have to be re-socialised, change their environment and provisions put in place to help people understand what they are eating, what is real food and what is not food.

She highlighted that Chile has a sugar tax, but it has also passed legislation that regulates the food environment. Foster noted that in the region, there is no mandatory front-of-pack labelling scheme which will help consumers to make informed choices.