50+ pediatricians urge NYS Legislature to pass the Predatory Marketing Prevention Act as childhood diet related illnesses skyrocket

Today, dozens of pediatricians from across New York State sent a letter urging Speaker Carl Heastie and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to pass the Predatory Marketing Prevention Act (PMPA). This critical legislation would restrict misleading food and beverage marketing that target children, a practice linked to rising rates of diet-related diseases. Making headway in both chambers, the PMPA recently landed in the Senate’s one-house budget resolution, after passing the Senate Consumer Protection Committee and a referral to the Assembly Consumer Protection Committee. 

Preventable chronic diet-related illnesses  among children, including type 2 diabetes—which now accounts for up to 45% of childhood diabetes cases—are escalating at alarming rates. Children of color face disproportionate exposure to unhealthy food and beverage marketing, increasing their risk of developing these conditions. As hospitals statewide reach capacity limits, pediatricians emphasize that passing the PMPA is a necessary step to curb this growing health crisis and ensure a healthier future for New York children. 

In their letter, the pediatricians state: “Kids are uniquely vulnerable to fast-food and processed food marketing; it shapes their food preferences and eventual lifelong eating habits. With full knowledge of this, major food and beverage companies capitalize on children’s vulnerability. The hard truth: every junk food ad children see brings them one step closer to needing a hospital bed.”  

Last week, PMPA sponsor Assemblymember Karines Reyes joined health experts from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and NYU’s Food Environment and Policy Coalition for a press conference unveiling findings from their recent study on food marketing. According to their research, TikTok influencers use ten different types of marketing disclosures for sponsored ads featuring food and beverage products. Yet, nearly 70% of ads featuring branded products failed to disclose their brand partnerships, reaching millions of young viewers online without disclosure.

While New York law prohibits false and misleading advertising, no current regulations protect youth from misleading targeted marketing. The PMPA would change that by granting the New York State Attorney General the authority to investigate and take legal action against companies employing misleading targeted marketing tactics aimed at children. The pediatricians' letter urges lawmakers to pass the bill to help prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes – New York’s leading causes of death. 

“Across our state, pediatricians are seeing demands for care reach unprecedented levels for chronic diet-related illnesses. Without strong regulation, food and beverage companies are incentivized to lead children astray with products that threaten their health. Passing the PMPA and ensuring transparent food marketing is an essential step toward improving outcomes for New York youth. We urge Albany lawmakers to advance this legislation and prioritize children’s physical wellbeing,” said Dr. Jeff Kaczorowski, FAAP, Chair of the NYS American Academy of Pediatrics, and pediatrician at University of Rochester Medical Center. 

“Bronx children are prime targets for predatory food marketing, with nearly one in five Bronxites lacking access to healthy food. In Belmont-East Tremont—where Union Community Health Center serves thousands of Black and Latino patients each year—bodegas outnumber supermarkets 37 to 1, leaving families with few real choices. With food insecurity and deceptive marketing fueling racial health disparities, our State Legislature must step in to protect youth and pass the PMPA. Our communities can’t wait,” Dr. Vanessa Salcedo, MPH, Vice Chair of the NYS American Academy of Pediatrics, and pediatrician at Union Community Health Center. 

“As a health care professional and mother of two, I am well aware of how social media has become a breeding ground for deceptive marketing for unhealthy food products,” said Assemblymember Karines Reyes, R.N. (D-Bronx) and PMPA Assembly sponsor. “New York State must assert its role, as a regulator, to ensure that our kids are safe from large corporations seeking to profit off their health and wellness, especially during the impressionable years of their youth. That is why I am a proud sponsor of the Predatory Marketing Prevention Act, so that our state has the tools to prevent deceptive advertising, via social media and other means, that urges children to purchase and want junk foods. I am hopeful that my colleagues will support this bill and give our children a fighting chance.”

“It's no surprise pediatricians support protecting kids from deceptive ads for unhealthy food and drink. The youngest New Yorkers are bombarded with this kind of marketing from their earliest years. It's past time we do something about it.” said Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-20). 

Contact Info:  Adaku Nwokiwu, 347-455-8121, adaku@pythiapublic.com