Evidence Over Assumption: What Parents Really Think About Food Advertising

Nielsen’s research for the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) reveals that the vast majority of Australians support the current advertising rules and want governments to focus on education, affordability, and healthy food access — not more bans. Seventy-one percent are satisfied with existing restrictions, and three-quarters believe teaching nutrition and subsidising healthy foods are far more effective than additional advertising limits. Parents see themselves — not marketers — as the key influence on children’s eating habits, reinforcing what we already know in New Zealand: that balanced, evidence-based regulation works, and empowering families makes the real difference. Would New Zealand parents think any differently from Australians about food and beverage marketing? In ANZA’s view this is unlikely.