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”

Philip Stone 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.

The food industry on both sides of Atlantic has embarked on major self-regulatory campaigns to clean up their acts. New television advertising promotes healthy lifestyles, and ads for products carrying excessive sugar or salt are now steered away from children’s programming. The industry hopes that self-regulation will keep the government regulators at bay and stop campaigns in several countries to prohibit food advertising aimed at children.

The feeling in Europe had been the food industry’s voluntary campaign would probably pay off, but the EC this week announced startling new numbers on European obesity with several countries on a population percentage basis worse off than the US. The belief now is that a voluntary code is still preferred but it will need to be a very stiff code or the regulators will get involved.

According to the EC, the number of overweight school children in the EU is increasing by about 400,000 per year with about 25% of all children too fat. More than 200 million European adults are said to be overweight or obese. Obesity counts for between 2% to 8% of all healthcare costs.

The International Obesity Task Force estimates that 67% of men in the US are obese or overweight, but that percentage is higher in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Malta and Slovakia. The fear is that the traditional diets in those countries that tended to keep people slim are being forsaken for fast food.

“My preference is not to have to regulate,” said Markos Kyprianou, the EC health and consumer protection commissioner,” at a news conference, but he warned that if the voluntary approach doesn’t work out  “there is the possibility of action for legislating.” He said he wanted to see a self-regulating agreement in place some time within 2006.

Usually named as the arch villain is McDonalds. But the Golden Arches are fighting back. This week it launched a global campaign, including six TV ads with more to come, to encourage kids to eat right and stay active. One ad even tells children not to watch so much television!. McDonalds tagline of “I’m Loving It” is expanded to  “It’s what I eat and what I do…I’m Loving It.”

To help get the message across McDonalds has enlisted such personalities as the Williams sisters shown playing tennis interspersed between shots of salads and other healthy foods. The voiceover extols, “I’m making good choices, you can too.”

McDonalds is in the PR doghouse after settling a lawsuit in February for $8.5 million in which it admitted it had falsely advertised it had cut its use of trans fat oils, linked to increased risk of heart disease, when in fact it had not because of delays in implementing the program. Of the amount, $7 million goes to the American Heart Association to educate the public about trans fat. And a federal court in the US has cleared the way for a lawsuit in which the plaintiff alleges he is not well and he is too fat because he ate so much McDonalds food over the years.

But its not just the fast food outlets that are scrambling to change their advertising ways. Household names like Pepsi, Kellogg, and Kraft are taking actions to restrict their advertising to children because of complaints about products with too much sugar, salt and fat being targeted at kids.

Pepsi said it was no longer advertising its flagship drink to children under 12, nor some of its Dorito chips to the under-eights. And it has reduced the portion sizes of its products that it sells in US schools.

Kraft announced that such sugar-filled products as Chips Ahoy cookies and Kool-Aid drink would no longer be targeted at children under 12, and it is removing trans fat from many of its products. It said it is phasing out all of its TV advertising this year aimed at the 6-11 age group

Kellogg says new versions of its Frosted Flakes and Fruit Loops now contains one-third less sugar.

Nestle, the world’s largest multinational food giant, is based in Switzerland, outside the EC. But the Swiss government, and Nestle, are closely watching the EC moves as they go down the self-regulatory route first.  “Industry will, with our guidance, develop a voluntary agreement which among other things will cover a declaration and rules for advertising,” said the head of the nutrition department at the Swiss Federal Health Office.

A Nestle spokesman said it favored industry self-regulation, opposed legislation, and that it had already established its own internal guidelines for children’s advertising that includes,  for instance, not using comic book heroes promoting its food to kids.

Meanwhile, back to Pepsi. It is relaunching its diet Pepsi One drink in the US. Pepsi, globally known for its extravagantly produced television commercials is doing things differently this time – it’s using just about every media advertising  outlet that one could imagine except for one -- there are NO television spots.

If that turns out to be a successful campaign then the television industry will certainly have to eat that as food for thought!

Author note: In the interests of full disclosure the author admits he is grossly obese and eats at least three quarter-pounders with cheese weekly. His health insurance provider refuses to pay for any anti-obesity treatment.

Editor note: Editor shares in the MacAttack splurge each week, without which this publication would be far less fun. This does not constitute product placement advertising though offers to that end are appreciated.