Just Eat has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority for running a high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) product ad “directed at children” on Facebook.
The ad featured an animation of the Just Eat and McDonald’s logos and a chicken nugget, with text stating “Fancy a McMuffin in the morning? McNugget for lunch? Or a big night in with a Big Mac? Get them delivered right here”.
Despite Just Eat targeting the ad at individuals aged over 18 years using Facebook owner Meta’s age targeting tools, the ASA said the aggregator app “had not taken sufficient care” to ensure that the ad didn’t reach under-16s on the platform. This was because it hadn’t used “all additional targeting tools available to them” such as “interest-based” targeting.
Guidance for marketers in the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional marketing (CAP Code) which requires HFSS product ads not be directed at under-16s, advises that “targeting solely on the basis of age data was unlikely to satisfy the requirements” because of “younger users misreporting their age or different people sharing the same device”.
The complaint on the advert – which ran online just before Christmas – was brought by youth activist movement Bite Back 2030, which says it is “challenging a food system that’s been set up to fool us all”.
“Our victory in this case is a powerful reminder that the current rules are not enough, and we must continue to push for stronger protections,” said James Toop, CEO of Bite Back, which was founded in 2019 by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
“Teenagers’ social media feeds are often saturated with junk food adverts, creating a pervasive cultural influence online,” he said. “With stricter regulations set for next year, food companies appear determined to maximise their reach to young people. Therefore, it’s crucial for the new government to enact this legislation as soon as possible and ensure these important rules are implemented without further delays,” he added, referring to a planned ban on online HFSS ads due to come into force in October next year, following two years of delays and industry lobbying.
According to Bite Back research, children in the UK are exposed to 15 billion junk food adverts online each year. Nearly one in three young people “face a future of food-related ill health and chronic diseases” such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, it said.
“I feel overwhelmed by the junk food ads I see online. Whether I’m researching for school, watching TV, or browsing social media, it’s everywhere,” said Carrera, a 17-year-old member of Bite Back’s Youth Board from Milton Keynes.
“It shouldn’t be up to us young activists to give children a commercial break from junk food ads, and we’ve seen we can’t trust the food giants to do it themselves. So we need the government to protect us from this constant bombardment of manipulative marketing schemes.”
Bite Back is running an out-of-home activation at Westfield Shopping Centres in Stratford and White City over the coming weeks to encourage shoppers to engage with its campaign work.
No comments yet