European nations are implementing stricter advertising restrictions on unhealthy foods targeting children amid rising childhood obesity rates, according to Euractiv.
Norway enacted Europe’s most stringent ban, prohibiting commercials for chocolate, energy drinks, and fast foods aimed at minors after a 2021 study revealed one-fifth of its primary school pupils were overweight or obese.
Similar initiatives are emerging across the continent: Bulgaria plans to prohibit energy drink ads targeting minors, while Denmark is tightening its Marketing Act due to repeated violations of the food industry’s self-imposed conduct codes.
Business and Industry Minister Morten Bødskov emphasised the necessity: “That is why we need to tighten the legislation.”
The EU’s primary framework, the “EU Pledge”—a voluntary scheme by the World Federation of Advertisers—permits companies like Mondelēz and Nestlé to set their own standards and monitor compliance. Critics argue this approach is fundamentally flawed, with Emma Calvert of the European Consumer Organisation stating:
Letting the food industry decide what’s acceptable to advertise to kids is like leaving the fox in charge of the hen house.
Internal classifications under the pledge even designate cakes and biscuits as healthy enough for child-targeted advertising, revealing what Calvert calls a scheme “not fit for purpose.”
Nearly one-third of European children (29% of boys, 27% of girls) now grapple with overweight or obesity, underscoring the health crisis’s scale. Research demonstrates alarming behavioural impacts: a UK study found just five minutes of exposure to food branding led children to consume an additional 131 calories—nearly equivalent to a cereal bar.
Despite evidence, regulatory action remains fragmented. The Commission’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive relies on “co-regulation” and “fostering self-regulation,” which Alessandro Gallina of the European Public Health Alliance dismisses as “superficial.” He asserts the Commission holds a “critical responsibility to implement binding legislation.”
While the EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity’s pending findings may guide member states, insiders indicate a comprehensive advertising ban is unlikely.
