Experts are pushing for Australia to follow the example set in the UK by introducing a ban on unhealthy food promotions. They say it could help curb impulse buying on items like fizzy drinks and chocolate which research has found is on special twice as often as healthy food.
00:00A small yellow tag and a deal many can't resist.
00:07But these specials could be leading shoppers astray.
00:10I mean how often have we done it, just throw it on without even thinking really
00:15and that's what it's designed to do and a lot of sales are made that way.
00:18Earlier this month a ban on multi-buy and two-for-one deals on junk food came into effect in England.
00:25Health experts say it's time for Australia to follow suit.
00:29One in four low-income households in Australia are experiencing food insecurity.
00:34They haven't got enough food on the table at meal times.
00:37So it's alarming to us that price is being used as a tool to encourage consumers to buy unhealthy food.
00:43A 2019 study from Deakin University found junk food like fizzy drinks and chocolate
00:49are discounted almost twice as often as healthy foods.
00:53Researchers reviewed those findings this year and say the results are the same.
00:58It doesn't put me off buying things but I do look for the best prices.
01:03My wife would probably encourage me to always go for the item on special but I'm always more looking for the healthier option.
01:09Definitely unhealthy. Unhealthy will always be discounted further.
01:12Like you don't get discounts on avocados, blueberries are rare.
01:15So we've done a national survey in 2023 where we found that around 80% of Australians said that they were affected by these price promotions and discounts on unhealthy food.
01:27And we also found that around 60% of people said that they bought more unhealthy food than they intended.
01:33Woolworths and Coles say they've committed to making healthy food easier to get.
01:38The government says it supports a range of initiatives targeting healthy eating but won't comment on whether it'll consider following the ban.
01:46The weather is veryothing and wrapping the ban.
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