Child-friendly packaging? Action on Sugar urges ban on “pester power” designs amid UK obesity crisis

15 Aug 2023 --- Action on Sugar is calling for a ban on packaging that appeals to children for food products that contain high or medium amounts of sugar. The charity argues that designs that attract young consumers should only be used for healthier alternatives. 

New research by Action on Sugar, based at Queen Mary University of London, has revealed that breakfast cereals and yogurts with packaging that appeals to children contain excessive amounts of sugar despite both categories registering sugar reductions between 2015-2020.

Furthermore, just nine cereals and six yogurts were considered low in sugar.

Packaging that appeals to children includes cartoon characters, animations, vibrant colors and familiar characters. Known as “pester power,” the marketing approach was designed to attract children’s attention and influence caregivers’ purchasing decisions.

“Pester power is the power children hold to pressure their parents into buying something that has caught their attention, usually through marketing techniques. Companies can create that situation in-store through child-appealing packaging,” Zoe Davies, nutritionist at Action on Sugar, tells Packaging Insights. 

Examples of child-friendly packaging (Image credit: Action on Sugar). Nutritionist Dr. Kawther Hashem, campaign lead at Action on Sugar, adds: “Given the soaring numbers of under 18s suffering weight-related health problems and tooth decay being the leading cause of child hospitalization, now is the time for companies to be forced to remove child-appealing packaging from products that are misleading parents and making our children unhealthy and sick.”

Sugar problems
The researchers found that breakfast cereals and yogurts with packaging that appeals to children have “unnecessary” amounts of sugars – with some products containing the equivalent of up to four teaspoons of sugar (per suggested serving). 

But breakfast cereals and yogurts have reportedly recorded significant sugar reductions between 2015 and 2020 (14.9% and 13.5%, respectively) as part of the UK government’s Sugar Reduction Programme – which is still short of the original 20% target. 

Given that only nine cereals and six yogurts surveyed were found to be low in sugar and only four cereals were low in both sugars and salt, the expert group is calling for the complete removal of packaging that appeals to children for products with medium or high levels of sugars, salt or saturated fat. 

Action on Sugar compared the average amount of sugars per 100 g in each company’s range of products with packaging that would appeal to children. The organization found that Lidl, Nestlé and Aldi’s cereal products contained the highest sugars per 100 g across their range with packaging that appeals to children. 

Meanwhile, Nestlé, Lidl and Aldi also contained the highest sugars per 100 g across their range of yogurts with packaging that appeals to children.Obesity is estimated to cost the UK £58 billion each year, flags MacGregor. 

Policies to close loopholes
While there are restrictions in place to prevent the irresponsible advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar during peak viewing times for children, a loophole exists regarding product packaging. Unlike advertisements, there are no specific restrictions governing the visual appeal and design of packaging, which influences children’s preferences. 

When asked why high-in-sugar products continue to be packaged in a child-friendly way, Davies explains that some companies have made some progress via the removal of cartoon characters on cereals, but says that this progress is not consistent across all manufacturers and needs to be implemented across entire product portfolios.

“Some companies have continued to target children via a more subtle yet still effective design. One retailer, for example, removed cartoon characters but replaced the cereal’s packaging with brightly colored comic design,” says the nutritionist.

“Without clear restrictions from the government, it’s unlikely we will see all retailers and manufacturers move designs on packaging that appeals to children from unhealthy to healthy foods and drinks.”

Graham MacGregor, professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Queen Mary University of London and Chairman of Action on Sugar, adds: “Obesity is estimated to cost the UK £58 billion [US$73 billion] each year, having a huge impact on economic productivity and the National Health Service. Drastic changes are needed to the food system and that includes responsible marketing of food and drink, especially to children.”

By Natalie Schwertheim