The feasibility study explores the current landscape of unhealthy food marketing to children in Australia and provides a better understanding of the options available for consideration. The report outlines:

• the policy problem and rationale for action
• overview of methodology, including summary of stakeholder consultations
• policy options for reducing children’s exposure to unhealthy food and drink marketing in Australia, including across broadcast, online, outdoor, retail, packaging and sponsorship settings
• assessment of potential impacts, including the feasibility and acceptability.

The analysis indicates that current self-regulatory arrangements do not provide sufficient protection and that legislative approaches are more likely to achieve the intended public health objectives. There is no evidence that industry self-regulation has been effective in protecting Australian children from exposure to unhealthy food marketing. 

Combining multiple policy options into a coordinated package would likely enhance policy effectiveness by reducing the displacement of marketing to unregulated channels and improving consistency across jurisdictions. These findings provide a basis for further policy development, including regulatory design, implementation planning and monitoring.