N04: Food Advertising

(2 points)

INTENT

Encourage the selection and consumption of healthier food choices through strategic placement and advertising.

SUMMARY

This WELL feature requires healthy food advertising and nutritional messaging and strategic menu design to guide healthy food choices.

ISSUE

Billions of dollars are spent annually on food marketing and advertising around the world to overwhelmingly promote highly processed products including sugar-sweetened beverages, breakfast cereals and fast foods. In addition to advertisements, the availability, placement and visibility of foods and beverages in the immediate food environment have the power to influence our food choices and ultimately our health. Fortunately, food environment interventions can guide the selection of healthier items without limiting perceived freedom of choice through nudging strategies and other invisible modifications.

SOLUTIONS

Strategies that increase the visibility and convenience of healthy foods have been shown to promote healthier choices through increased sale and selection of healthier items and may encourage long-term changes in eating behaviors. Healthy food advertising has also been shown to increase the selection of healthier items and may have a stronger impact than anti-obesity advertising on shaping eating behaviors. These interventions have been effective in a variety of food settings including cafeterias, corner stores, grocery stores and supermarkets.

IMPACT

Creating food environments where the healthiest food choice is the easiest food choice can help improve the diet quality and health of individuals.

REQUIREMENTS

Part 1

Promote Healthy Nutritional Messaging (1 point)

Verified by Policy Document, Photographic evidence

For All Spaces

Healthy food advertising:

Advertisements for foods and beverages within the project boundary meet the following requirements:

1. Sugar-sweetened beverages are not marketed or promoted.

2. Deep-fried food options are not marketed or promoted.

Nutritional messaging:

Designated eating areas or common areas contain at least three different instances of messaging per project that communicate at least one of the following:

1. Encouragement of the consumption of whole, natural foods.   

2. Encouragement of the consumption of drinking water.   

Note: Nutritional messaging can take the form of prominent displays such as educational posters, brochures or other visual media.

Part 2

Implement Healthy Menu Design (1 point)

Verified by Professional Narrative, Photographic evidence

For All Spaces

The following requirements are met if foods are sold or provided on a daily basis within the project boundary:

1. A description of the nutritional criteria used to identify healthy menu items is submitted through WELL Online. Nutritional criteria should be based on dietary, scientific or medical evidence or guidelines.

2. On menus and menu boards, healthy menu items are presented according to at least three of the following promotion strategies:

   1. Included as the default options throughout the menu (e.g., a salad is the default side instead of fries or chips).
   2. Listed using appealing descriptions.
   3. Visually highlighted through icons, different colors or bolding.
   4. Listed first in each menu section.
   5. Listed in prominent areas of the menu (e.g., the top, bottom, corners).

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