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Posted by Lori Henry Nov 26, 2006 |
The controversial ban on junk food ads by Ofcom, the media regulator in the UK, has garnered a mixed reaction from the public. Health groups have been lobbying for such a proposal for years, while broadcasters and food companies moan that the rules are too stringent.
Ofcom’s proposal targets ads with products heavy in salt, fat and sugar, to protect children under 16 years old, whereas the preceding rule was to target children under 9 years old. More consultation will take place before policy takes effect before the end of January next year.
The estimated loss from broadcast revenues are $73 million, with satellite channels losing 8.8% and children’s channels losing 15%. Although the numbers are large, OfCom has received a large amount of feedback from other countries interested in implementing these strict guidelines.
So far, Sweden, Norway and the province of Quebec in Canada, have applied bans like the UK, and 10 large food companies in the United States announced last week that they would self-impose guidelines to try and limit their junk food advertising to children.
The companies include: Cadbury Schweppes, Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Hershey, Kellog, Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, PepsiCo and Unilever, some of the most prominent names in advertising in order to “promote healthier dietary choices and/or to messages that encourage good nutrition or healthy lifestyles.”