Through a letter published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, several organizations are demanding that the Government "advance" in the processing of the Royal Decree on the regulation of food and beverage advertising aimed at children, backed by the Ministry of Consumption.
The petition is signed by representatives of the National School of Public Health, the Gasol Foundation, the Spanish Confederation of Student Parents' Associations, the Spanish Epidemiology Society, the Alliance for Healthy Eating and Unicef.
Specifically, the signatories request that the legislation of the measure presented last year by Alberto Garzón's cabinet be continued, which is included in the draft of said Royal Decree. The letter expresses the need to resume negotiations to establish a regulatory framework in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Spain ratified in 1990.
"The unfavorable reports from some of the ministries that participated in the National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood Obesity 2022-2030 are preventing the progress of the regulatory processes against the advertising of unhealthy foods," the letter criticizes.
This measure, the first with legal rank and which takes into account the nutritional profile of the advertised products, represents, in the opinion of the authors of the letter, "a great advance" in the "protection" of the rights of children and adolescents. in Spain, "undermined" by the advertising of ultra-processed food and beverages.
In a statement, the Gasol Foundation criticizes that as long as this regulation does not exist, the right to health, accurate information, education (on healthy habits), privacy and privacy (personalized online advertising) are affected. and non-discrimination against minors, "a population cognitively vulnerable to the persuasive intention of advertising and marketing."
"With this measure, which has a solid ethical and scientific foundation and the mandatory legal guarantees, we will contribute significantly to improving the protection of the rights of children and promoting public health," adds Dr. Santi F. Gómez, Global Director of Research and Programs at the Gasol Foundation, in this note.
The organizations point out that the regulation of food and beverage advertising is one of the "priority" objectives of the National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood Obesity 2022-2030, promoted by the Presidency of the Government.
"However, the Royal Decree has not been contemplated in the Government's Annual Regulatory Plan for 2023, despite the fact that the proposal has broad support, is in an advanced stage of processing and has the mandatory visa of the Commission National Competition in the Markets", warned the organizations.
For the signatories, this situation means a blockage for the achievement of the objectives established in the National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood Obesity 2022-2030, "so the ministries should work to reach a consensus based on the published draft by the Ministry of Consumption, so that the royal decree can be approved".
As members of public, scientific, non-governmental and civil society organizations that have actively participated in this plan, they request the Government "to approve as soon as possible the Royal Decree that regulates advertising of unhealthy food and beverages aimed at children".
All these organizations trust that this policy "not only has solid ethical and scientific foundations, but also presents the mandatory legal guarantees to be approved."
