Food and drink suppliers have reacted angrily to Ofcom's refusal to bend on its tough stance on a ban on advertising high fat, salt and sugar products to kids.
Ofcom has rubber-stamped a proposal to extend the ban from the under-nines to the under-16s, a move that has dismayed manufacturers.
When Ofcom made the initial decision to ban advertising of HFSS foods to kids in November, it surprised everyone.
Initially the ban had been expected to target under-nines but was unexpectedly extended to under-16s. A secondary consultation on the proposal was launched to gauge wider views.
But the only concession is that the ban on advertising to under-16s will not be effective until 2008. "We are disappointed that Ofcom has decided to extend the restrictions on ads to cover young people," said FDF director general Melanie Leech. "This is disproportionate given that the issue has always been about young children."
Leech reiterated the FDF's commitment to working with the government and others to find a lasting solution to obesity, but stressed the advertising ban alone was not the answer. "This decision will not, by itself, reduce childhood obesity."
However, Ofcom said that after considering all the responses it was "appropriate and necessary to adopt restrictions intended to reduce significantly the exposure of children under 16 to HFSS advertising".
The new scheduling restrictions will be phased in gradually (see panel). The content rules come into force immediately for new advertising campaigns.
Some food and drink companies, such as Masterfoods, had hoped Ofcom would agree to restrict advertising to the under-12s.
"By the age of 12, children understand both the difference between advertising and content, as well as advertising's persuasive intent, and have developed cognitive skills to process advertising," said a spokeswoman.
Meanwhile the Food Standards Agency's Nutrient Profiling Model, which Ofcom uses to judge HFSS products, continues to come under attack, as more influential figures signed up to support The Grocer's Weigh It Up! campaign. "It's very difficult for parents to give their kids a healthy balanced diet," said This Morning's resident doctor, Dr Chris Steele.
"But I've yet to find an obese child who's eating too many raisins, or too much cheese, and I think the FSA has come up with an overly simplistic system."
BBC Radio 2 medical expert Dr Sarah Jarvis said the model was fundamentally flawed. "Parents may assume foods not banned from advertising to children must be nutritionally valid, and many simply are not," she said.
"The government should be promoting natural, wholesome products. The model means it is not."
Comment p30
Letters p32
Cereal Killers p48
Ofcom has rubber-stamped a proposal to extend the ban from the under-nines to the under-16s, a move that has dismayed manufacturers.
When Ofcom made the initial decision to ban advertising of HFSS foods to kids in November, it surprised everyone.
Initially the ban had been expected to target under-nines but was unexpectedly extended to under-16s. A secondary consultation on the proposal was launched to gauge wider views.
But the only concession is that the ban on advertising to under-16s will not be effective until 2008. "We are disappointed that Ofcom has decided to extend the restrictions on ads to cover young people," said FDF director general Melanie Leech. "This is disproportionate given that the issue has always been about young children."
Leech reiterated the FDF's commitment to working with the government and others to find a lasting solution to obesity, but stressed the advertising ban alone was not the answer. "This decision will not, by itself, reduce childhood obesity."
However, Ofcom said that after considering all the responses it was "appropriate and necessary to adopt restrictions intended to reduce significantly the exposure of children under 16 to HFSS advertising".
The new scheduling restrictions will be phased in gradually (see panel). The content rules come into force immediately for new advertising campaigns.
Some food and drink companies, such as Masterfoods, had hoped Ofcom would agree to restrict advertising to the under-12s.
"By the age of 12, children understand both the difference between advertising and content, as well as advertising's persuasive intent, and have developed cognitive skills to process advertising," said a spokeswoman.
Meanwhile the Food Standards Agency's Nutrient Profiling Model, which Ofcom uses to judge HFSS products, continues to come under attack, as more influential figures signed up to support The Grocer's Weigh It Up! campaign. "It's very difficult for parents to give their kids a healthy balanced diet," said This Morning's resident doctor, Dr Chris Steele.
"But I've yet to find an obese child who's eating too many raisins, or too much cheese, and I think the FSA has come up with an overly simplistic system."
BBC Radio 2 medical expert Dr Sarah Jarvis said the model was fundamentally flawed. "Parents may assume foods not banned from advertising to children must be nutritionally valid, and many simply are not," she said.
"The government should be promoting natural, wholesome products. The model means it is not."
Comment p30
Letters p32
Cereal Killers p48
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