Junk Food Joins Alcohol and Tobacco as TV Advertising NO-Go Areas

Philip Stone November 15, 2004

The reason we and our kids are fat is because we succumb to all that junk food advertising on television instead of eating healthy nutritional salads, vegetables and the like. Actually, it’s not our fault as parents; it’s the kids fault since they are the ones who after watching all those television ads directed at them are dragging us to those fast-food outlets.  Go To Follow Up & Comments

At least that’s what the British government believes is happening and, by golly, they are going to do something about it – new restrictions are being proposed to severely limit television advertising of junk food, candy and snacks aimed at the hours when kids are most likely to be watching the box.

While not facing a complete ban like alcohol and tobacco, the British are markedly adding obesity to the list of tobacco and drink diseases that kill. In this case, it hopes to stop the addiction when the users are still young.

At present some £575 million is spent annually on UK television food advertising. The industry had feared a complete ban of food advertising aimed at children – which could in turn have closed down some children’s cable tv channels – but the government is starting out by saying junk food ads aimed at children must be alternated with ads for other products.

The campaign against the likes of McDonalds and others began in the US when health campaigners complained that new Super Sized meals were making the nation even fatter. The junk food purveyors responded by promoting salads and the like in their television advertising and they stopped selling Super Sized meals. But that didn’t actually solve the problem – those who missed their Super-Sized meals merely bought two of the smaller sized meals.

But there are indications that food advertisers are sensitive to the health issue.  In the UK in the past year it is estimated that the number of food and drink commercials aimed at children for products containing large amounts of fat, sugar, and salt, have dropped by some 20%, whereas the total number of food and drink ads aimed at the general population have increased.

If the new rules are effective, then it’s going to be Dad dragging the kids for a Big Mac, and not the other way around.

And Talking About Children’s TV:  In the US, Disney (ABC Family Channel) and Viacom (Nickelodeon) have agreed to the largest-ever negotiated settlement with the FCC for a combined fine of $1.5 million for exceeding advertising limits during children’s TV programming. Both channels are carried on practically every cable system, reaching some 85 million households.

The FCC restricts commercials, depending on viewing time, to between 10 ½ minutes to 12 minutes an hour. It also prohibits commercials that refer to or offer products related to children’s programming. Viacom admitted it broke the time and product placement rules, and Disney said it violated the product placement rules.

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As the EC Declares War on Obesity, the Food Industry Changes Its TV Advertising. Their Voluntary Theme - In the Hope Regulators Won’t Ban Their Ads Aimed at Kids - Becomes “Eat and Live Healthy” - March 17, 2005

Europeans used to scoff at the fat American – there were so many of them (especially those who insisted on wearing shorts to emphasize their figure) -- but now obesity has reached epidemic proportions in Europe, and the regulatory fingers are wagging at television food advertisers. The alleged villains are not just the junk food outlets, but also household-name food manufacturers who target their heavily sugared or salted products in programs watched by the under 12s.

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