A chocolate candy with arms, legs and oversized glasses hurtles down a rollercoaster. A voice says, "It tastes like fun! This is a standard commercial for candy on German TV, aired in the afternoon. The German food minister wants no advertising for unhealthy foods aimed at children to appear between 6 a. This would also apply to influencers, for example on YouTube or TikTok.
On top of that, billboards advertising sweet, fatty or salty foods in bright colors are to be banned near schools, kindergartens and playgrounds.
This is crucial in the fight against obesity and other diet-related diseases, he argued, before adding that ads for unhealthy foods have been shown to influence children's eating behavior. But representatives of the German food industry dispute the idea that a ban on advertising can prevent obesity.
As he takes a seat at the table in the BDSI conference room in Bonn for a DW interview, there's no plate with cookies on the table, or any snacks, just a few water bottles.
A ban on advertising will not lead children to eat less candy, says Bernoth, and yet: "Advertising is essential in a market economy. It enables you to take a market share from other competitors. Information and education are key here. And it's not up to the state to make any stipulations here or to postulate any bans. So could an advertising ban protect children from unhealthy food or not? Anette Buyken, professor of public health nutrition at Paderborn University, says that the data is not complete.
