25-04-2025
Norway bans marketing of unhealthy food to children
Jan Christian Vestre, Norway's Minister of Health and Social Care, said that the directive put Norway at the forefront of countries acting to nudge their populations away from the consumption of unhealthy food.
"With this regulation, Norway is a pioneer," he said in a
press release
. "We are taking responsibility and ensuring that fewer children are exposed to negative pressure that leads to an unhealthy diet, which in turn can be harmful to children's health."
The change was issues as a directive, meaning it did not require a vote in parliament.
Companies judged by Norway's Directorate of Health to have violated the ban will be asked to withdraw the marketing concerned and will risk a fine if they fail to comply.
The ban on the most unhealthy foods, called Annex 1, will apply to advertising in cinemas showing films aimed at children under the age of 13, to competitions aimed at those under the age of 18, and to the distribution of taste and product samples to children.
Other marketing will be assessed on whether the product is "primarily consumed by or may particularly appeal to children" and whether the marketing is designed to "particularly appeal to children" by, for example using children's language, bright colours, animations or cartoon characters.
Marketing could also fall under the ban if it involves children or "persons who will appeal to children", or uses gifts, toys, coupons, discounts, collectibles, contests or games that "may particularly appeal to children".
The marketing ban will apply to all chocolate and confectionery, energy bars and sweet spreads and desserts, to cakes, biscuits and other sweet and/or fatty pastries, to popcorn, cornflakes, salted nuts and salted nut mixtures, to salty crackers, pretzels and salt sticks, to ice cream, and to soft drinks, energy drinks, and juice drinks.
It will also apply to juice or milk drinks if they include added sugars or sweeteners, and to breakfast cereals with more than 12.5g sugar per 100g.
The ban will apply to fast food or prepared meals with more than 950 kJ (225 kcal) or 4g of saturated fats per 100g.
A McDonald's Big Mac
has 964.8 kJ (230.9 kcal) and 4.2g of saturated fat
-- putting it above the calorie and saturated fat limits.
Meanwhile, its
Happy Meals are over the caloric threshold
, with the total fat and calories depending on the meal.
Advertisement
The Norwegian Cancer Society welcomed the ban, with Secretary General Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross calling it "a simple measure that gives children and young people a better starting point for good health throughout life".
LHL, the patients group for heart, vascular and lung diseases, also welcomed the ban, with Secretary General Magne Wang Fredriksen calling it a "big day for public health and for our children".
