[Home] [News & media] [News releases] [26 September 2006]

The advertising and broadcasting industries present proposed new advertising rules to Labour MPs in a fringe event with the Health Minister

The advertising and broadcasting industries today presented their jointly proposed Package 4 to a delegation of Labour MPs and other interested groups.

Speaking on behalf of the advertising industry at a fringe event on Marketing Food and Health: A Changing Media Landscape with the Health Minister, Caroline Flint MP, Andrew Brown, Director General of the Advertising Association, said:

"The industry has proposed strict new guidelines on food and soft drink advertising to children in an endeavour to ensure that advertising in children’s airtime is done in the most responsible way."

If implemented, Package 4 would effectively mean an end to the use of licensed characters, gifts and celebrities with a particular appeal to primary school children in any television ads that are targeted directly at them. It also halves the exposure of all food and soft drink advertising to this group compared with 2003.

Suzanne Edmond, Public Affairs Manager at the Food Advertising Unit, which organised today’s fringe event in association with the Smith Institute, added:

"The industry understands the legitimate concerns surrounding children’s diets and is committed to playing its part. Package 4, with its combination of tough new codes and advertising volume restrictions, further strengthens changes that are already taking place. It is focused on the Government's key target of primary school children."

The Food Advertising Unit rejected further calls for a pre-9pm watershed ban which it has deemed to be unjustifiably draconian and not in line with the Government’s own policy, which is to reject a ban as being disproportionate and to call for restrictions that balance social benefit with economic impact.

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Notes to editors

1. 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. FAU membership represents multi-national food companies, advertising agencies and the media.
2. ‘Package 4’ was submitted to Ofcom on 30 June 2006. It was signed by the members of the coalition: Andrew Brown, Director General of the Advertising Association (AA), Malcolm Earnshaw, Director General – ISBA, Melanie Leech, Director General - Food and Drink Federation (FDF),  Jeremy Preston, Director - Food Advertising Unit and Hamish Pringle, Director General - Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA). http://www.fau.org.uk/Package_4__final_.pdf

For further information

Please contact Suzanne Edmond on 07736 729 422 or Sue Eustace on 020 7340 1100

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