Ofcom Revises Junk Food Advertising Data
Ofcom has revised the data and modelling it is using in the consultation on the restriction of television advertising of food and drink products to children.
Ofcom expects the changes to decrease the costs to broadcasters of each of the proposed policy packages outlined in the consultation document and also to decrease the cost to broadcasters of a pre 9pm ban on HFSS advertising, and to decrease the impact of all three of the proposed policy packages on the amount of advertising that children see.
Having looked at the revised data, Ofcom is maintaining the proposals for new restrictions on the advertising of food and drink products to children that are set out in the consultation.
The likely effects of the three possible options include; reducing the amount of advertising children see by 50%, terrestrial and children’s broadcasters losing more of their income, and a ban on all food and drink advertising shown during pre-school children’s programmes see (Fast Foods and Fat Kids).
The revised data now identifies the effect on 4 – 9 year olds and 10 – 15 year olds separately in addition to reporting the results for the original 4 -15 year old category.
Ofcom also said that: “Based on 2005 data, excluding all HFSS advertising before 9pm would remove 82% of the recorded HFSS advertising impacts on all children (aged 4 -15 years) and 89% of the recorded HFSS advertising impacts on children aged 4 – 9 years.”
However, it looks unlikely that Ofcom will take this step as it went on to say that such a ban would not meet its regulatory objectives and also that: “A pre 9pm ban rather than being targeted at younger children, would prevent adults from viewing advertisements for most HFSS food and drink products aimed at them. As a result it could make television an unattractive medium for food and drink advertisers; it may for example be uneconomic to produce television advertisements if they can only be shown after 9pm.”
Labour MPs recently met Ofcom to demand a pre-9pm ban on junk food advertising aimed at children (see MPs Demand Junk Ad Ban From Ofcom).
Ofcom: www.Ofcom.org.uk