Sugary beverages (SBs) are a leading source of free sugars in children’s diets and a major contributor to the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Bangladesh (1). According to the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2022, 32% of children aged 6–23 months were given a sweet beverage in the previous day, indicating that exposure begins very early in life (2). This early and sustained exposure is shaped by deliberate marketing strategies that reach children and adolescents directly through packaging. While Bangladesh regulates the price of SBs (through tax) and is currently preparing front-of-pack warning labels, neither measure fully addresses marketing practices on the package. This policy brief describes both direct and indirect child-focused marketing found on SB packaging in retail settings and outlines policy options to close this regulatory gap.
