REGIONAL STUDY ON DIGITAL MARKETING OF FOODS AND NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE (EXPOSURE AND POWER) IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN LATIN AMERICAN AND THE CARIBBEAN

REGIONAL STUDY ON DIGITAL MARKETING OF FOODS AND NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE (EXPOSURE AND POWER) IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN LATIN AMERICAN AND THE CARIBBEAN

1. Background

1.1 UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories in the world, including 36 in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide.

Childhood overweight and obesity is a global public health issue, with prevalences increasing almost everywhere. In the LAC Region overweight affects an estimated of 7.5% of children under five and 30% of school-age children. The COVID-19 pandemic has likely exacerbated these figures, due to deteriorations in household wealth and disruptions to the availability and affordability of nutritious food, higher exposure to screen time and less physical activity.

Childhood overweight impacts children's immediate physical and emotional well-being; increases the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) later in life; and carry heavy societal and economic consequences for the individual, families and their communities. To date, it is well known that food marketing influence children's food preferences, purchase request and consumption patterns. Food marketing of unhealthy products (high in saturated fat, salt and/or free sugars (HFSS)) contributes to the childhood overweight epidemic and infringes multiple rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the rights to health, adequate nutrition and information.

In the last years there has been a significant shift from traditional channels of food marketing (like television) towards digital marketing and integrated campaigns including digital, mobile and social media. Today, there is growing evidence that digital marketing of HFSS products have similar or even greater effects than traditional media, and it is much cheaper for the food industry. As the WHO Set of Recommendations1 notes the impact of food marketing depends on exposure (frequency and reach) and power (the nature, creative content, design and execution of the marketing message, e.g. use of persuasive techniques such as promotional characters).

Digital marketing has a powerful effect on children due to emotional persuasion, personalization, reinforcement and incentives offered to this audience. Worryingly, unhealthy food marketing is everywhere, and children access digital media from an early age, often without the supervision of parents or any other adult.

In the LAC UNICEF Region there is no evidence (with a strong and consistent methodology) on the exposure and power of digital marketing of unhealthy products directed to children possibly due to the lack of regulation in digital spaces; and this might be one of the drivers to high prevalences of childhood overweight. Given that digital marketing influences the consumption of unhealthy products among children, violating several children rights, and contributing to the childhood overweight epidemic, UNICEF is seeking for an institutional consultancy team to conduct a regional digital marketing study of food and non-alcoholic beverages in children from 2 to 19 years old. UNICEF's work to prevent childhood overweight and foster healthy and sustainable food system includes generating evidence and research, providing recommendations, implementing initiatives, and advocating for marketing policies and practices that facilitate children's right to  health and adequate nutrition.

2. Solicitation

2.1 The purpose of this Request for Proposals for Services (#RFPS#) is to invite proposals for REGIONAL STUDY ON DIGITAL MARKETING OF FOODS AND NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE (EXPOSURE AND POWER) IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN LATIN AMERICAN AND THE CARIBBEAN as fully detailed in the Terms of Reference/Statement of Work attached at Annex B

2.2 This RFPS document is comprised of the following: ·This document ·The UNICEF General Terms and Conditions of Contract (Services) which are attached as Annex A to this document

· The full Terms of Reference/Statement of Work attached at Annex B ·Request for Proposal for Services Form as Annex C

·Vendor Form MDM as Annex D

·Online registration to UNGM -United Nations Global Market # link: https://www.ungm.org/Account/Registration ·Instruction to bidders

2.3 This RFPS is an invitation to treat and shall not be construed as an offer capable of being accepted or as creating any contractual, other legal or restitution rights. No binding contract, including a process contract or other understanding or arrangement, will exist between the Proposer and UNICEF and nothing in or in connection with this RFPS shall give rise to any liability on the part of UNICEF unless and until a contract is signed by UNICEF and the successful Proposer.

PART II # PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCESS

1. Proposal Submission Schedule CONTRACTUAL PROCESS The schedule of the contractual process is as follows:

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE

: 1.Send Proposal: 16.12.2021

2.Questions and Answer if necessary: Until 10 January 2022.

3.Consolidates Q & A posted in UNGM: January 11, 2022.

4.Deadline for Proposals: January 21, 2022. Before 23:59 Panama Time

5.Proposals Review: January 24, 2022

. 6.Evaluation Period/Review of Proposals: January 25, 2022 approximately

7.Award Notice sent and posted in UNGM: January 26,2022

 8.Contract begins February 2022 approximately

1.1 Acknowledgement of receipt of RFPS. Proposers are requested to inform UNICEF as soon as possible send it through UNGM platform. And if you prefer you can also send by email at LACRO-OPS@UNICEF.  IMPORTANT: PROPOSALS ARE NOT TO BE SENT TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS STATED ABOVE # ANY PROPOSALS SENT TO THE ABOVE EMAIL ADDRESS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

1.2 Questions from Proposers. Proposers are required to submit any questions in respect of this RFPS by UNGM platform. And if you prefer you can also send by email at LACRO-OPS@UNICEF.ORG

1.3 The deadline for receipt of any questions is 10 JANUARY BEFORE 23:59 PANAMA TIME. IMPORTANT: PROPOSALS ARE NOT TO BE SENT TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS STATED ABOVE # ANY PROPOSALS SENT TO THE ABOVE EMAIL ADDRESS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

1.4 Submission Deadline. The deadline for submission of proposals is as follows: No later than 23:59 Panama time of January 21, 2021. Send it through the UNGM platform, see attached e-submitions instruction to bidders. And if you prefer you can also send by email at LACROBIDS@UNICEF.ORG. With reference LRPS-2021-9172393.

Any proposals received by UNICEF after the Submission Deadline will be rejected. 1.6 Proposal Opening. Due to the nature of this RFPS, there will be no public opening of proposals