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Advertising of unhealthy products will be banned for children under 16

Filling a legislative gap and responding to criticism of inadequate self-regulation, industry organizations Fevia, Comeos, and UBA have tightened marketing rules for food intended for minors.


iStock
iStock

As of 1 January 2026, Belgian food companies, retailers, restaurant chains, and caterers will no longer be able to expose children and young people under the age of 16 to advertising for foods and beverages deemed unhealthy. Chips, sodas, sweets, chocolate, and ice cream will be explicitly excluded.


These updated rules will apply to all media platforms, including social media, which will be the focus of particular attention. On the ground, marketing campaigns for these overly sweet, fatty, and/or salty foods will be prohibited within a 150-meter radius of both primary and secondary schools.


"The food sector recognizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet, especially for children who are not yet able to critically assess advertising," said Bart Buysse, CEO of Fevia, the federation of Belgian food companies.


Socially responsible marketing


Also recognizing the importance of responsible marketing, industry organizations have introduced this new code of good conduct based on voluntary commitments, the Belgian Food Advertising Code, to compensate for the absence of national legislation.

"At the same time, the sector remains open to constructive and ongoing dialogue with the relevant authorities and advisory bodies," said Dominique Michel, CEO of Comeos, the Belgian trade and services federation.

Intended to provide a clear framework to help brands communicate in a socially responsible manner, the changes introduced by this first initiative in this area respond to recurring criticisms.


"Reviews and scientific studies show that self-regulation is insufficient to reduce children's exposure to unhealthy advertising," the Belgian Superior Health Council (CSS) noted in 2022.


Finally more adequate self-regulation?


Existing instruments, such as the European Pledge initiative ( https://eu-pledge.eu/ ) or its transposition in our country in the form of the Belgian Pledge, were limited in terms of scope (less strict nutritional standards), commitments and sector coverage (lack of effective application), the CSS observed.


Before concluding at the time that "self-regulatory approaches do not work to reduce children's actual exposure to unhealthy food marketing" and that "it is urgent that governments, at all levels, put in place comprehensive regulations." "With this new code with binding rules and an age limit set at 16, Belgium is an international forerunner in self-regulation," said Marc Frederix, president of the Advertising Council, considering that the advertising ecosystem was assuming its societal responsibility to "contribute to a change in attitude in favor of sustainable and healthy consumption."


Objective: a healthy way of consuming


Growing concerns about the health of young people also prompted these new advertising restrictions. Childhood obesity remains a major public health problem in Belgium: one in five young people (19%) is overweight and 5.8% are obese, according to the latest nutritional status report compiled by the Belgian health institute Sciensano.


Managing food marketing is essential, as it constitutes a key aspect of the environments that contribute to obesogenic behaviors in children. Fevia and Comeos point out that the new self-regulation initiative is part of the broader objective of contributing to a more balanced lifestyle. Examples include their Nutri-Pact launched in 2023 and the 2024 pilot project on nudging, which indirectly suggests ways to encourage healthier consumption. Naturally, the success of all these self-regulation, co-regulation, or strict regulation efforts depends in part on the will of consumers.


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