Reduce the impact of marketing aimed at children (Indicator 23)
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The indicator describes the following: Policies to reduce the impact on children of the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages high in saturated fats, trans fatty acids, free sugars or salt.
Norway has a self-regulatory scheme for the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages aimed at children, which applies to children up to 13 years of age. Evaluations have shown weaknesses in the self-regulatory scheme, especially concerning the age limit and lack of sanctions. In addition to the self-regulatory scheme, certain aspects of marketing aimed at children and youth are regulated through other legislation, such as the Broadcasting Act, the Marketing Control Act and the Food Act.
Self-regulation scheme
In 2013, the Norwegian food and beverage industry, in agreement with the authorities, developed an enhanced self-regulation scheme for the marketing of foods and beverages aimed at children. This scheme replaced a previous voluntary scheme and came into force on 1 January 2014.
The industry established the Food and Drink Industry Professional Practices Committee (MFU) which monitors compliance with the guidelines and enforces penalties for violations. A website has been created which includes a complaints form, see: www.mfu.as.
MFU’s goal is to prevent the marketing of certain types of foods and beverages aimed at children under the age of 13. In addition, due diligence in marketing to youth under 16 is specified from 2019. MFU’s structure comprises a secretariat, a board and a professional committee. The Norwegian Directorate of Health represents the authorities in the professional committee.
Monitoring the scheme
In connection with the introduction of the new scheme, it was announced that the MFU would be in effect for two years after which the scheme would be evaluated. The Norwegian Directorate of Health was commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Care Services to carry out the evaluation. In January 2017, the Norwegian Directorate of Health submitted its evaluation to the Ministry of Health and Care Services.
The evaluation highlighted both strengths and weaknesses in relation to the scheme. The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommended a dialogue between the authorities and the industry about how the input on improvements presented by the evaluation could be addressed by the self-regulation scheme. Dialogue with other interested parties was also recommended. In 2019 the MFU scheme was evaluated by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health as requested by the Ministry of Health and Care Services. The evaluation provided proposals for the Ministry of Health and Care Services on topics that could be discussed with the industry regarding possible adjustments to the scheme.
In 2023, the Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Ministry of Children and Families established a working group to investigate and propose measures to better protect children against the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages. In June 2023, a majority in the Norwegian Parliament voted for a ban on the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages aimed at anyone under the age of 18. The Government was asked by the Parliament to legislate such a ban the same year.
Within the National Action Plan for a Healthier Diet (2017-2023) there is an action point to follow up on the work related the marketing of foods and beverages aimed at children.
In 2023, the Norwegian Directorate of Health was assigned by the Ministry of Health and Care Services to develop a Nutrient Profile Model for identifying foods and beverages that should be subject to marketing restrictions for children. The Directorate submitted the proposal in March 2024.
In August 2024, the Norwegian government sent on public consultation a proposal to ban the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages aimed at children under the age of 18 years. The regulation is expected to come into force in 2025.
International collaboration
Norway, through the Norwegian Directorate of Health, has led and been the secretariat for the WHO European Action Network on Reducing Marketing Pressure on Children during the period 2008-2015, and continues to participate actively in the network, which is now led by Portugal, through Direção-Geral da Saúde.
A Nordic protocol (2016) has been developed in for mapping the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages aimed at children and youth. The Norwegian Directorate of Health has been responsible for project management The protocol has been used as the basis for mapping marketing of foods aimed at children (2016), as part of the evaluation of the self-regulatory scheme.
In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a new guideline on policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing. The guideline recommends countries to implement comprehensive mandatory policies to protect children of all ages from the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages that are high in saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, free sugars and/or salt (HFSS).
The Norwegian Directorate of Health is a partner in the Joint Action Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (JA PreventNCD) project. The project started January 1, 2024, and runs through December 31, 2027. Cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a significant portion of the disease burden in Europe, much of which is preventable. The project is designed to address this challenge by supporting strategies and policies that aim to reduce the burden of cancer and NCDs, focusing on both personal and societal risk factors. The Directorate is, among other things, active in Task 5.6 Control and counter the effects of advertisements and online marketing, in developing an EU Operational structure and the EU-wide Implementation Package to support Member States in implementing policies to reduce harmful marketing (food, tobacco and alcohol).
Marketing of foods aimed at infants and toddlers
WHO and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have documented how aggressive marketing for breast milk substitutes influences decisions on infant feeding and undermines breastfeeding (How the marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding. Geneva: World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2022).
Breastmilk and breastfeeding are of great importance for infant and maternal health, respectively. In Norway, marketing of breast milk substitutes and other food products for infants and young children is regulated by EU regulations. These regulations only partially cover the recommendations in the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. Digital marketing of breast milk substitutes is a significant problem because it is not fully covered by either the regulations or the Code. There is a need for clarification of the regulations, as well as more restrictive policies. Cross promotion is an example of a widely used marketing strategy that should be more strictly regulated.
The World Health Assembly (WHA 69.9 Guidance on ending the inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children) has clarified that the Code applies to all milk that is specifically marketed to feed infants and young children up to the age of 3 years. According to the World Health Assembly, foods for infants and young children that are not products that function as breast-milk substitutes should only be promoted if they meet all the relevant national, regional and global standards for composition, safety, quality and nutrient levels, and are in line with national dietary guidelines. To date, this has not been implemented in the EU regulations or in Norway.
Implementing policies to restrict food marketing to which children are exposed has been proposed in various other WHO documents adopted by the World Health Assembly, including the Comprehensive Implementation Plan on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition.
Global indicator definition
Indicator 23: Policies to reduce the impact on children of the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages high in saturated fats, trans fatty acids, free sugars, or salt.