Hot Topic - Junk Food Ads

UK Government To Spend £75 Million On Advertising How To Lead A Healthy Life, But Still Allows Some Junk Food Advertising Before 9 p.m., Protecting The £211 Million That A Ban Would Cost TV Companies - January 24, 2008
Here are the UK government’s priorities when it comes to valuing child health: it’s worth taxpayers paying £372 million ($740 million, €495 million) for a vigorous multi-faceted program to combat obesity that includes a £75 million ($150 million, €100 million) advertising campaign aimed at adults to vigorously promote healthy eating and exercise lifestyles. But, for now at least, it’s not worth getting more bang for that taxpayer spend by endangering the £211 million that TV companies would lose if all junk food advertising were banned before 9 p.m.

Food And Soft Drink Companies Representing Some Two-Thirds Of European Food Advertising Pledge To Stop Promoting Junk Food to The Under 12s Within A Year, And Unlike A Similar Food Company Pledge In The US, This One Has Independent Verification - December 12, 2007
European governments are serious in attacking obesity. It’s not just the individual’s personal health – the disease kills 10-13% of all Europeans and obesity rates have tripled since the 1980s -- but it’s a money issue, too, eating up some 2-8% of all health costs depending on the country. So it’s no wonder the European Commission threatened food manufacturers that they take action, or action will be taken for them.

Here’s A Tip For Commercial Broadcasters On How To Improve TV Ratings And Probably Save Some Money At The Same Time – Cut The Kids Programming, Or At Least Send It Over To Digital Platforms - July 5, 2007
ITV, the UK’s largest commercial network presented what it called good news this week – ratings at its prime network were down only 5.6% for the first half of the year. The reason the network is so happy is because for the same period last year the ratings were down 9.1%, so the situation is at least stabilizing and given the massacres in the UK television advertising economy one has to look for silver linings, no matter how meager.

Kellogg Will Advertise Only Nutritional Food To The Under 12s Globally In A Major Victory In The War Against Childhood Obesity - June 15, 2007
Make no mistake, television food advertising aimed at kids is a huge grown-ups business worth some $3 billion in the US alone last year. A recent US government study said that half the junk food, sugary cereals, and soft drinks ads are on TV programs aimed at the under 12s. Nutritionists and government officials around the world are convinced such ads are a leading cause of the large increase in childhood obesity. But an admonished Tony the Tiger says he’ll do better from now on.

Not Much Unites The World These Days, But One Thing Most Do Seem To Agree And Act Upon Is That Obesity Is A Global Disease And Those Junk Food Ads Aimed At Kids On Any Media Platform Need To Tone Down - April 17, 2007
Canada’s food and beverage announced Monday that 15 of its biggest companies will devote at least 50% of their ads directed to children under 12 to promote healthy food choices and how to live an active life. The industry will also sponsor new public service ads under the umbrella “Long Live Kids.” They’d live longer if 100% of that advertising budget aimed at the under 12 went to promote healthy food choices and lots of exercise, but it’s just one example of how the world is on the same wave length to encourage the food industry to change its ways. Junk food has replaced tobacco as the young’s Public Enemy #1.

Further Complicated: Advertising, Children and Television

Advertising and television face more complaints, criticism and new rules. ftm reports on the debate in Europe and North America 43 pages PDF file (March 2007)

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