On June 22, 2017, the Senate Social Affairs Committee voted unanimously to pass Bill S-228: the Child Health Protection Act with amendments.
Bill S-228 as introduced in the Senate on Sept. 28, 2016 by Senator Nancy Greene Raine prohibits the marketing of food and beverage to children under 13.
Senator Raine amended the bill to prohibit the marketing of food and beverages to children under 17, to limit the prohibition to unhealthy foods and beverages, and to move the details of the bill to be dealt with by regulations.
“I am pleased that the bill now protects children up to age 16 and is focused on unhealthy food and beverages as will be determined by world standard nutrient profiling. “I’m also pleased that the details with regard to defining the scope of the prohibition will be dealt with in regulations, making it easier to adapt as marketing methods change,” said Senator Nancy Greene Raine.
The need for legislation to prohibit marketing of food to children was one of the recommendations of the Senate committee’s report “Obesity in Canada: A Whole of Society Approach for a Healthier Canada” and has received wide support from parents and health stakeholder groups.