MPs Approve Bill to Ban Junk Food Advertising to Children; Bill Proceeds to Senate

Food like the items on this table will no longer be advertised to children in Canada if a bill that just passed in the House of Commons is subsequently passed in the Senate. Shutterstock

A bill to ban the advertising of junk food to children is one step closer to becoming law after MPs in the House of Commons voted 208 to 116 in favour of the proposal.

If the bill is made law, Health Canada will have the power to stop advertisers from marketing foods containing “more than prescribed level of sugar, saturated fats or sodium” to children under the age of 13. The government will decide which specific foods cannot be advertised to children and at what defined limits of those ingredients.

Health Canada would also have the power to monitor the effectiveness of the bill and in particular monitor and review the marketing of foods and beverages to teenagers between ages 13 and 17.

Private member’s bill C-252 was put forward by Quebec Liberal MP Patricia Lattanzio to amend the Food and Drugs Act in a bid to stop the manipulation of children by a “multi-billion dollar industry.”

Food ads are “a practice we want to see stopped,” Ms. Lattanzio said during third reading of the bill on Oct. 25, as reported by Blacklock’s Reporter. “Action is necessary,” she added.

The bill has proceeded to the Senate, where it must be passed before being granted royal assent to become law. The Senate completed first reading of the bill on Oct. 26.

Concerns

Not all MPs were in favour of the bill. Regina

Conservative MP Warren Steinley said during House debates in June that it’s the role of a parent to present healthy eating habits early in life while Health Canada “always wants to bring in more and more bans.”

He said this is another example of the government taking “more control over the lives of Canadians.”

He said that Quebec has had this legislation in place for 40 years and that he had asked Ms. Lattanzio directly how much obesity rates had gone down in that province with this law.

“Members probably noticed that she would not give a number. She would not answer, because government legislation does not have that much of an effect on what kids are going to eat; parents do, and that is what we should be focusing on,” Mr. Steinley said.

Alberta Conservative MP Damien Kurek said the regulations proposed in the bill would be difficult to enforce and noted that details would be left to regulators. “There is not very much clarity,” he said.

Conservative MPs voted against the bill.

A similar bill had lapsed in 2019, and at the time advertisers said the advertising ban would be an “enormous blow” to food manufacturers and restaurant chains and in addition would cost Canadian media operations close to $1 billion in revenues a year.

The Association of Canadian Advertisers wrote to Health Canada stating that the proposal would “affect perhaps $366 million worth of television advertising and $590 million worth of digital advertising each year in Canada.”

In addition, “Fully 52 percent of the industry’s ability to reach adults with television advertising, and 74 percent of the industry’s ability to reach adults with digital advertising, would go away if the proposal were to become law,” the group wrote.

Even MPs who supported the bill raised questions about the increased power to Health Canada.

“Here I am as a legislator sort of handing over all that power,” said Bloc Québécois MP Luc Thériault during a March 28 discussion of the bill by the Commons health committee, adding that “we are doing this blindfolded in a way.”

“It seems too abstract to me,” he said.

“What about yogurt? Fifteen grams of sugar, 18 maybe. Would that be considered acceptable, unacceptable? Would that be on the list?” asked Mr. Thériault.

The chief medical adviser with Health Canada, Dr. Supriya Sharma, responded by saying that in grocery stores, half of an aisle could be devoted to yogurt and “some of those might be suitable to be part of children’s regular diet. Some of them may be very high in fat, very high in sugar as well.”