[Home] [News & media] [News releases] [8 November 2006]

The Minister for Public Health addresses the advertising industry at the FAU Annual Conference

Speaking at today’s FAU Annual Conference – Marketing food and health: a changing media landscape - the Minister for Public Health, Caroline Flint MP, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to work in partnership with the industry on key areas such as advertising, labelling and education.

The Minister said that the Government’s focus was children under 12 who were more vulnerable as their ability to discern advertising messages was less developed. She stated that the Government had not lost sight of teenagers, but that the early years were when children developed habits for life.

She said that a voluntary approach – or, in the case of Ofcom, a mandatory approach – was the most desirable option. This would be preferable to the Government having to legislate.

The Minister recognised that advertising was not the only - or major - factor in rising levels of obesity. She observed that media spend had shifted from children to their parents and that there was significantly less targeting of children by food manufacturers in 2005 than in 2002.

The Minister confirmed that she did not support a complete ban on advertising to children and wanted to marshal advertising creativity. There is an opportunity for better marketing to children to make “healthier” brands more ‘cool’ to kids so that they do not view healthy living as ‘nerdy’.

Andrew Brown on behalf of the Food Advertising Unit welcomed the Minister’s comments. He reminded the Conference of the original instruction from the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, to Ofcom stating that a ban on advertising would be disproportionate.

He said “Whilst it is true that children watch programmes in adult and family airtime, they actually represent a very small proportion of the total audience. A pre-9pm watershed ban, as demanded by the Food Standards Agency and Consumer Groups, would be completely disproportionate and tantamount to a complete ban”.

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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. The FAU’s membership represents multinational food companies, advertising agencies and the media.
2. 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

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