On 24 February, a group of public health organisations launched a campaign calling on the government to ban food and beverage advertising to children under 16. The “Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition”, led by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Childhood Obesity Foundation, is launched as the Senate prepares to publish an important report on obesity.

The Coalition, composed of over 30 organisations and key opinion leaders, adopted the Ottawa Principles, laying out policy recommendations for the Canadian government. It includes a set of definitions, scope, and principles to guide policy developments, including details on a proposal to ban commercial marketing of food and beverages to children under 16. Importantly, the proposed ban would apply to all food and beverages, irrespective of their nutritional composition.