Ultra-processed food companies must stop marketing to children

Ultra-processed food should carry serious health warnings, especially when marketed to children, according to UCL academics and global experts who are calling for children's interests to be included across all government policies.  Professor Anthony Costello (UCL Institute of Global Health) and Professor Chris Van Tulleken (UCLH) joined a panel of experts at a Children in All Policies (CAP2030) event called Are We Selling Children & Adolescents A Lifetime Of Ill-Health? The speakers all reinforced the need for companies that - exploit children through the marketing of products such as alcohol, tobacco, unhealthy food and drinks, breastmilk substitutes and gambling apps to be far better regulated. Professor Costello said: "Children need stronger protection from commercial exploitation and we must do more to ensure companies who market harmful products are not infringing their rights to a happy and healthy life. "We need better laws from Governments, more regulation and responsible behaviour from companies to act in the interests of children and to not always put profits first. "At the same time, we need to imbue our children with a love of locally sourced, freshly prepared food, by restoring cooking and domestic science to the curricula of all our children in schools"   Speaking at the event, Professor Van Tulleken added: "There is a one main single cause of the obesity pandemic: ultra-processed food. Many children eat up to 90 per cent of their calories from this type of food.