Consumer advocates and health experts are calling for Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to intervene in the coalition dispute over advertising restrictions for unhealthier foods aimed at children. Proposals for implementation have been on the table for a year now, said the head of the Federal Association of Consumer Advice Centers, Ramona Pop, to the dpa. “Now politicians have to take action.” The managing director of the consumer organization Foodwatch, Chris Methmann, said that Scholz “can no longer stand idly by and watch as the FDP blocks effective advertising barriers to protect children’s health.”
On February 27, 2023, Federal Food Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) presented legal plans that are intended to contribute to healthier nutrition and less obesity. However, due to objections from the FDP, the project is stuck in the traffic light coalition. Özdemir has now tightened the proposed restrictions. Advertising bans for products with too much sugar, fat and salt should therefore be concentrated at times when many children are watching television. Previously this was scheduled from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The General Local Health Insurance Funds (AOK) called for measures to promote healthy eating. “Of course, no single measure will make diet-related illnesses disappear into thin air,” said the head of the AOK federal association, Carola Reimann. “But effective rules to protect children from advertising for unhealthy foods are an important component in the mix of instruments.” According to spokeswoman Barbara Bitzer, the German Alliance for Noncommunicable Diseases, which includes associations and medical societies, is also calling for the project to be made a top priority in the government.
