Food Industry Slashes Advertising To Children

Press release @ 3rd May 2011:

Food Industry Slashes Advertising To Children

Combined efforts by Food Industry Group (FIG) members have resulted in a dramatic reduction in TV advertising of food to New Zealand’s children over the last year.

Figures just released by the Commercial Advertising Bureau confirm that over the 2010 year, less than 1% of all ads (0.8%) were produced and approved under self-regulatory guidelines to screen in children’s time blocks.

Of all advertisements for food, only 120 were placed in the specific programming times for children under 14 years old. This is in stark contrast to previous years. Prior to the launch of the Children’s Food (CF) Classification in 2008, approximately 90% of all food advertisements could have run in these children’s time slots.

Katherine Rich, Chairman of the Food Industry Group (FIG), explained that their members recognised the need for a high level of social responsibility in communicating to children and were operating a very efficient self-regulatory system to ensure this happens.

“The Food Industry Group has worked collaboratively with successive governments to play our part in minimising the problem of obesity,” she said. “The success of these initiatives demonstrates the appropriateness of the self-regulatory system in New Zealand.”

A new Children’s Code for Advertising Food was launched by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in April 2010 after its development by a panel of public, industry and government representatives. The new code gives clear guidance on food advertising with strong appeal to children.

During the year ThinkTV (formally known as the NZ Television Broadcasters Council) reviewed its “Getting it Right for Children” advertising policy and announced that free-to-air television had increased the hours of Children's Programming by 107% since 2008. This was to assist the Government’s Healthy Eating - Healthy Action plan and consolidated a 2007 agreement between broadcasters and Government.

FIG members include the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council (FGC), The Association of New Zealand Advertisers (ANZA), the Communications Agencies Association of New Zealand (CAANZ), ThinkTV, food manufacturers, several quick service restaurants, supermarket retailers and a range of other media.

ENDS

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