Advertisers Alienated Over Plans For Junk Food Ban
The Advertising Association has accused the Government of alienating advertisers and broadcasters in its plans for a ban on junk food advertising, potentially hindering the development of a new code and causing unnecessary problems for those it will affect the most.
The proposed restrictions on advertisers promoting food to children have been a hot topic for months, with figures previously released by Ofcom and the AA claiming a revised code could cost the advertising industry upwards of £375 million (see Restrictions On Food Advertising Could Cost £375 Million).
Now the Government looks set to propose a television advertising ban for certain foods and soft drinks in its Public Health White Paper, due to be published this week.
Commenting on the proposed action, Claudia Camozzi of the AA’s Food Advertising Unit explained that many of the industry’s key players have been excluded from the Government’s decision making process and have been unable to influence the content of the new advertising code.
She said: “Our position is that we agree that strict codes are necessary, we want to play a role in the review of the codes, but equally we want to play a role in helping to promote healthy messages, and we are unlikely to come round that table if we are being alienated.”
She added: “The industry to date has gone to Government with proposals as to how it can be part of the solution and how it can help to promote public health messages. If we’re talking about pre-watershed bans, anything from 1% to 30% of broadcaster revenues could be lost, so they have a huge role to play, and if they lose their revenues or find it difficult to do their job then it is going to be difficult for them to come to that table and help promote those matters.”
According to the Advertising Association, more efforts need to be made to change the behaviour of the nation’s children and encourage healthy lifestyles, rather than clamping down on advertisers. The viewpoint is supported by a recent Ofcom report which stated that a ban on junk food advertising during children’s television programmes would prove “ineffective”.
Delivering research commissioned by culture secretary Tessa Jowell, Ofcom stated that a ban on the advertising of unhealthy foods would “be both ineffective and disproportionate in its wider impact.” The regulator also claimed that the impact of advertising on the eating habits of young viewers was negligible in comparison to other lifestyle factors such as exercise, family eating habits and food labelling (see Ofcom Rules Out “Ineffective” Ban On Junk Food Ads).
Jeremy Preston, director of the Food Advertising Unit, explained that the AA had already made submissions to the Government outlining the need to change lifestyles rather than advertising regulations. He said: “The real issue which needs to be addressed is how to achieve behavioural change to ensure there is a balance between food intake and energy expenditure levels. The food and advertising industries can play a part in this and have presented proposals to the Government.”
Advertising Association: 020 7828 2771 www.adassoc.org.uk
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