MANILA, Philippines—The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that 99 percent of food products marketed to children fail to meet global standards, highlighting the need for stronger legislation to protect minors from aggressive promotion of foods and drinks high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
In a statement released late Friday, UNICEF said that of the 1,035 digital food advertisements targeting children in the country, 99 percent did not comply with World Health Organization (WHO) standards for marketing to children.
The agency said this trend is contributing to rising obesity rates among school-aged children, now at 12.9 percent, up from 10.4 percent in 2019.
UNICEF attributed the increase to a shift toward ultra-processed foods and sugary beverages, which are heavily marketed and designed for convenience.
If left unaddressed, the agency warned that by 2035, an estimated four billion people worldwide—about half the global population—could be overweight or obese.
In response, UNICEF, along with the WHO and the National Nutrition Council (NNC), urged the Philippine government to pass the proposed Healthy Food Environment bill, which aims to protect children from aggressive marketing of unhealthy food and drink products.