In Croatia, measures against unhealthy food are inspired by the fight against tobacco.

Two Croatian public health organizations have drafted a bill aimed at better protecting children from obesity and improving nutritional information for consumers.[1]. Led by the POST Healthy Living association and the Association for the Prevention of Overweight, the proposal includes the introduction of warning labels on food packaging and restrictions on advertising for products deemed nutritionally unhealthy when targeting children. These measures are common in tobacco control campaigns and have proven highly effective in reducing the appeal of harmful products.

According to data from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), 36.1% of eight-year-olds in Croatia are overweight or obese, placing the country among those with the highest prevalence of childhood obesity in Europe. The authors of the project point out that childhood obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, metabolic disorders, and fatty liver disease, and can also affect mental health and social relationships, according to Dražen Gorjanski, a family physician and one of the authors of the text.

Measures focused on regulating harmful products and raising public awareness

The proposal calls for the introduction of simple warning labels on the front of packaging to indicate products containing high levels of sugar, salt, or saturated fats, similar to the warnings on cigarette packs. According to the bill's proponents, this measure aims to facilitate food choices without banning products or restricting consumer freedom.

The draft legislation also includes regulations governing marketing aimed at children, particularly when products use cartoon characters, toys, games, language appropriate for young audiences, influencers followed by children, or advertisements broadcast in media and time slots primarily targeted at them. These rules could also apply to promotional content disseminated on platforms like TikTok or Instagram when it targets children.

Regarding school meals, establishments would gradually adapt their offerings to nutritional recommendations. Products with an unfavorable nutritional profile would no longer be offered in regular meals, with the aim of improving the nutritional quality of the food provided to students. The criteria used would be based on internationally recognized nutritional models, notably that of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the European region. They would apply according to the composition of the products and not their origin: traditional Croatian foods would therefore not be prohibited, but subject to the same rules as other products according to their nutritional profile.

Other provisions relate to improving the food supply in places frequented by children, access to drinking water when consuming food, as well as educational actions for pregnant women and young people, targeted by the marketing strategies of the food industry.

However, the authors of the proposal clarify that it does not include a tax on foods considered less healthy, even though price increases are recognized as one of the most effective public health measures for reducing affordability. Any such tax measure would require separate legislation and further analysis.

An implementation subject to the control of the authorities, which could draw more inspiration from the fight against tobacco.

If adopted, the law would apply to food producers and importers. Its implementation would be monitored by the relevant regulatory authorities. Proponents of the legislation emphasize that no single measure can, on its own, solve the problem of childhood obesity. However, they believe that a combination of improved labeling, restrictions on marketing to children, and more favorable food environments can help reduce obesity rates, citing a recent study published in The Lancet, which followed more than 300,000 children in Chile and showed that such measures have a measurable positive effect. The draft law is open for contributions from citizens, healthcare professionals, parents, and representatives of the food industry until September 15, 2026, before potentially being submitted to the Croatian Parliament.

This project comes at a time when, globally, it has been demonstrated that the ultra-processed food industry, which specifically targets young people with addictive products, draws heavily on the methods and strategies of the tobacco industry, with whom it shares historical ties. This similarity between the industries extends to the proliferation of legal appeals to weaken food health policies. Public health experts recommend applying to the food industry all the measures proven effective against the tobacco and nicotine industry, including a strict separation of public health policies and the economic interests of industry, in accordance with Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

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[1]Tonka Vuković, Cigarette-style warning labels for certain food products in Croatia proposed, Croatia Week, published on August 3, 2026, accessed on August 4, 2026

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