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Baroness Buscombe responds to Ofcom’s announcement
Ofcom has today concluded that it is appropriate and necessary to adopt restrictions intended to reduce significantly the exposure of children under 16 to advertising of food and drink products high in fat, salt and sugar.
Baroness Peta Buscombe, the new Chief Executive of the Advertising Association responded:
“The important thing now is for the advertising industry to act within the spirit as well as the letter of the Code. I have been impressed by the progress that has already been made in this area.”
“We welcome Ofcom’s decision to introduce the scheduling rules on a phased basis for all channels given its late decision to extend restrictions to all children under 16”.
“The advertising industry remains committed to reviewing the non-broadcast advertising content Code. There are discussions still to be had but the intention is to keep these as close as possible to the broadcast TV Code.”
She added:
“These new rules are extremely important, but I would now urge campaigners and Politicians to focus on all the root causes of obesity and not to get further distracted with any one particular aspect”.
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Notes to editors
- The Food Advertising Unit (FAU), which operates under the auspices of the UK Advertising Association, is a centre for information, communication and research in the area of food advertising, particularly television advertising, to children. The FAU represents multi-national food companies, agencies and the broadcast media with an interest in food advertising. Further details about the FAU can be found at www.fau.org.uk.
- Ofcom’s final Statement on the television advertising of food and drink products to children: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/foodads_new/statement/.
- The advertising industry committed last summer (30.06.06) to introduce strict but proportionate new rules on content - including celebrities, licensed characters and promotional offers - as well as volume and scheduling restrictions. http://www.fau.org.uk/Package_4__final_.pdf
- The new statutory broadcast Code on content will be legally binding on the industry and provide some of the strictest rules on advertising food and soft drink to children in the world. The industry has committed to transposing these, as proposed, into the non-broadcast self-regulatory Code, which would be binding on the industry.
- The Food Advertising Unit (FAU) encouraged Ofcom to consider such a phased implementation for those most seriously affected, particularly the music channels in its response to the final consultation in December, towards the end of 2007 (FAU position paper 22.12.06).
- The industry was disappointed at Ofcom’s last minute decision in November 2006 to extend restrictions to children under 16 away from the Government’s continued focus on primary school children (see note 6 below) and indeed its own original regulatory objective.
- In answer to a Parliamentary Question tabled by Stephen O’Brien MP, Shadow Minister for Health, in May 2006, Caroline Flint MP stated that her concerns were “focused on protecting primary school aged children.”
For further information
Please contact Suzanne Edmond or Jonathan Collett on 020 7340 1100 or 07736 729422 (out of office hours).
FAU Response to Ofcom further consultation on Television Advertising of Food and Drink Products to Children 
News release: the FAU expresses its disappointment at Ofcom’s decision to ban all advertising of HFSS foods to children under 16’s
Media brief 16 November 2006
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