2011 Shame and Fame Awards
The Parent’s Jury is a parent’s activitist group. It aims to promote healthy food and lifestyles for Australian children, and more information about the group can be found at http://www.parentsjury.org.au/
Their 2011 Shame and Fame Awards have just been announced and the group has not had good words to say about the marketing and labelling of two of Australia’s most well known brands.
Shane Warne was the face of an advertising campaign for a new chicken based product from a quick serve chain and the Parent’s Jury have said that this was unacceptable as it was “using sport to promote unhealthy food which influences children”.
A leading cereal manufacturer was also highlighted for two of it’s products having either labelling that “make an unhealthy product appear healthier than it is” or for “encouraging children to nag for unhealthy foods”.
“With one in four Australian children considered to be overweight or obese, it’s no longer enough to simply tell parents to say no. We as a society have to take a stand and tell the industry its codes are not good enough. Parents need a positive environment to reinforce healthy eating habits, instead of constantly battling unhealthy food promotion.” said Corrina Langelaan, Parents’ Jury Manager
A campaign by a major Frozen food producer received a big thumbs up for encouraging schools to develop and build vegetable gardens.
The Chief Executive of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC,) Kate Carnell has responded to the announcement of the awards on behalf of the food industry by asking parents to remember the work the industry “is taking to make healthier choices easier and to significantly reduce advertising of foods that that are high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) to children in all forms of media. Under the AFGC’s Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative, leading food and beverage manufacturers have committed not to advertise HFSS foods to children under 12, unless they promoted healthy dietary choices and a healthy lifestyle.”