Restricting advertising of certain foods to children under 13 years of age

The proposed Child Health Protection Act (Bill S-228) will restrict the advertising of foods that meet certain nutrient criteria to children under 13 years of age. There is evidence that the advertising of foods to children that contribute to excess intakes of sodium, saturated fat, or sugars increases the risk of developing chronic diseases later in life.

On this page

• Why restrict advertising to children
• Taking action to improve the health of Canadian children
• Consulting with Canadians about food advertising

Why restrict advertising to children

Nearly 1 in 3 Canadian children is overweight or obese. Overweight children are more likely to develop health problems later in life, including:

• heart disease
• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure

Being overweight or obese can also impact an individual’s mental health and well-being.

The rise in childhood obesity over the past few decades is linked to changes in our eating habits.

Many factors in our food environment influence our ability to:

• make healthy food choices
• follow a healthy pattern of eating

The factors that have a major impact on our food choices include:

• foods available:
  • at home
  • at school
  • in stores and restaurants
• social influences
• food advertising

These factors can make healthy eating a challenge for many Canadians, and children are no exception. Healthy eating supports healthy growth and development and helps prevent chronic diseases.

Too much advertising

Canadian children see far too much advertising for foods that contribute to excess consumption of sodium, saturated fat and sugars:

• Children see on average between 4 to 7 ads for food on TV every hour per station (excluding Quebec)^{Footnote 1}
• A Canadian study found that over 54 million food ads appeared on their favourite websites, from June 2015 to May 2016
  • Over 90% of these ads were for highly processed foods

Children are particularly vulnerable to advertising. Food advertising influences their:

• eating patterns
• taste preferences
• purchase requests

Restricting advertising of food that meet certain nutrient criteria to children under 13 years of age will create an environment that supports healthy food choices.

Taking action to improve the health of Canadian children

We are proposing regulatory restrictions to limit the exposure of children under 13 years to ads of foods that contribute to excess sodium, sugars and/or saturated fat in their diet.  

The regulations and related guidance will:

• Provide information on how to assess whether an advertising is directed primarily at children under 13 years of age
• set the nutrient criteria for foods that must not be advertised to children under 13 years of age
• cover a range of settings, media and advertising tactics and techniques
• ensure that our children are offered the highest level of protection afforded under the Food and Drugs Act 

Consulting with Canadians about food advertising

Health Canada began consulting with stakeholders in 2016. The detailed list of multisectoral meetings is below.

Further information on meetings and correspondence with stakeholders in which opinions and information are relayed with the intent to inform the development of the draft Guide, policy and/or regulations can be found on the Meetings and correspondence on healthy eating website

Related Information

• Health Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy
• BILL S-228 - An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children)
• Healthy Eating Strategy openness and transparency: Meetings and correspondence on healthy eating