By Edu Abade
Global public health experts have decried the food and tobacco industry tactics of selling addictive products to children all over the world, describing their foods, beverages and nicotine products as “irresistible harm,” especially among children and teenagers.
To stem the tide, the Corporate Accountability Food and Tobacco Campaigns co-convened and moderated a global panel of experts in a bold policy discussion of the strategic design and marketing of harmful products including ultra-processed foods (UPFs), high sugar products, tobacco and nicotine in ways that are irresistible to children, by industries seeking to profit from youth consumption.
The group stated this at a panel session titled: Irresistible Harm: The Toxic Politics of Selling Addiction to Children, which included Dr. Kersten Schotte, Medical Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters’ Department for Health Promotion; Jaime Arcila, Senior Researcher, Tobacco Campaign at Corporate Accountability and Javier Zúñiga, Legal Coordinator, El Poder del Consumidor-México and hosted by the Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2).
A statement issued by Corporate Accountability’s Directorate of Media and Press, said: “Through the use of artificial flavors, excessive sugar, colorful packaging, character branding, catchy advertising and digital marketing campaigns, the products exploit children’s developmental impressionability and normalize harmful consumption patterns at an early age, making them lifelong consumers of harmful products.
“This is not accidental, but a result of well-orchestrated and fine-tuned tactics by the industry to maximize profits at any cost. It is a result of deliberate manipulation of addiction, coupled with permissive policy environments and weak global governance that relies on privileging profit for the few over the health of many.”
The group argued that from point-of-sale strategies to influencer partnerships, the pernicious industry strategies are symptoms of a deeper issue: A toxic political environment where regulatory loopholes, corporate lobbying, conflicts of interest and corporate electioneering allow harmful industries to operate with impunity.
“Sugar-laden ultra-processed products, flavored nicotine and other addictive substances, proven to cause disease and death, continue to retain their social license to remain part of everyday childhood experiences. This is a blatant failure of national governments and global institutions to protect the health and rights of young people,” it stated.
Schotte said: “Every four seconds, someone dies due to tobacco use or exposure to second-hand smoke. Behind the brightly packaged products and flavoured variants lies a clear strategy: to hook the next generation on addiction. Today, an estimated 37 million children aged between 13 and 15 years are using tobacco – a figure that reflects targeted marketing, not informed choice.
“Tobacco and nicotine products are highly addictive, and the industry is well aware. We must break the illusion and expose these tactics that deliberately mislead and endanger lives. Governments have the tools to act: banning flavours and filters, implementing plain packaging, prohibiting advertising and promotion-especially on digital platforms-and creating tobacco- and nicotine-free environments.
“Evidence shows that these measures work. They reduce the appeal of tobacco products, protect people’s health, and save lives. Supporting cessation services and increasing taxes further strengthens our collective response. On this World No Tobacco Day, we call on governments to unmask the industry’s tactics and accelerate action.”
Speaking, Arcila stated: “Tobacco and ultra-processed food industries follow a playbook designed not to protect public health, but to protect profit. They shape public perception, influence policymaking, and push back against regulation-all while their products drive addiction and disease. From stadiums to screens, the normalization of harm is visible everywhere, while responsibility is quietly denied.
“Cigarettes are not a cultural tradition-they are an industrial addiction, engineered to be deadly and difficult to quit. Colombia’s history, where cigarette brands once sponsored football, shows how deeply these industries embed themselves in our lives. Now, others are taking their place, using the same tactics to target the next generation.
But this is a turning point. Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on “Tobacco Control (FCTC) is clear: public health must come before industry influence. Yet the FCTC is under pressure, and we must act to protect it. Governments have the tools-and the responsibility-to hold these industries accountable.
“It is time to make Big Tobacco pay for its abuses. Join the global movement. Sign the petition. Let’s protect health over profit, and future generations over corporate interests.”
Also, Zúñiga said: “In Mexico, food and beverage advertising targeted at children is not just pervasive-it is manipulative. These marketing strategies are designed to shape children’s preferences, influence their purchase requests, and alter their long-term eating habits.
“Through entertainment, emotional appeal and repetition across media platforms-from billboards and digital ads to influencer content-these campaigns build brand loyalty by exploiting children’s inexperience and lack of understanding about persuasive intent.
“When children are exposed to branded events like Coca-Cola’s Christmas parade, Bimbo’s youth soccer tournaments, or product placements via social media influencers, they are not simply being entertained-they are being conditioned. This form of marketing undermines parents’ efforts to promote healthy diets and directly contributes to the alarming rates of childhood overweight and obesity in the region.
“The evidence is clear. Organizations like PAHO and UNICEF have strongly recommended restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children across the Americas. The time to act is now. We must protect children-not commercial interests-by regulating advertising in digital, outdoor, and retail environments. A healthier future begins with honest, responsible marketing.”
The dialogue ended with the words of one of the co-moderators and Chief Research and Policy Officer at Corporate Accountability, Ashka Naik, who stated: “Industries that profit from harmful products-such as ultra-processed foods, sugary snacks, tobacco, and nicotine-have strategically designed and marketed these products to target children and adolescents. Through addictive ingredients, colorful packaging and digital campaigns, they exploit children’s impressionability, creating lifelong consumers of harmful products.
“This deliberate manipulation is a result of weak policies, permissive governance, and corporate greed that prioritize profit over health. We must challenge these harmful dynamics by dismantling industry influence and advocating for bold, equity-driven policies that protect public health, especially the well-being of future generations.”
It would be recalled that the discussions are part of a G2H2 policy debate series on people, politics and power leading to the WHO’s World Health Assembly.
