Gong Beibi, China
People of the Western Pacific
"It’s difficult these days to make good judgements about food. Whenever we open our phones, the ads are everywhere. We’re constantly overloaded with marketing, pulling us in to buy their products.
When I was young, I didn’t know anything; I ate whatever tasted good. Later, I had a child, and I began to pay much more attention to food and hope that he will form good and healthy habits.
There are so many advertisements for snacks claiming to have health benefits. Some ads combine sweets with children’s favourite cartoons. Children are not really into the sweet, but want the toy. That’s the trick to capture the attention of our children. The industry is smart.
For many parents, is quite difficult to make a quick judgement about all kinds of food by themselves. If the product is high in salt, sugar and fat, at least the government should regulate the advertising. That would save a lot of trouble for parents."
Watch Gong Beibi's story
"Whenever we open our phones, the ads are everywhere."
With many thanks to Gong Beibi for sharing her story.
All photos © WHO Western Pacific