New Food, Beverage Initiative to Focus Kids' Ads on Healthy Choices
The Initiative is designed to shift the mix of advertising messaging to children to encourage healthier dietary choices and healthy lifestyles.
15/11/06 The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) and the National Advertising Review Council (NARC) today announced two significant developments in the self-regulation of advertising directed to children under 12:
First is the establishment of the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (Initiative), a voluntary self-regulation program with 10 of the largest food and beverage companies as charter participants. The Initiative is designed to shift the mix of advertising messaging to children to encourage healthier dietary choices and healthy lifestyles. Charter participants are Cadbury Schweppes USA; Campbell Soup Company; The Coca-Cola Company; General Mills, Inc.; The Hershey Company; Kellogg Company; Kraft Foods Inc.; McDonald's; PepsiCo, Inc. and Unilever. It is estimated that these companies account for more than two-thirds of children's food and beverage television advertising expenditures.
Second is the approval of significant revisions to the Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children's Advertising. The revised Guidelines strengthen the ability of the CBBB's Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU), which monitors all advertising directed to children under 12, to provide guidance and oversight to all industry sectors.
Both the Initiative and the revisions to the Guidelines evolved from the in-depth review of the Guidelines undertaken by NARC and led by Joan Z. (Jodie) Bernstein, a former director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
"These are important developments. The Initiative represents an innovative effort to promote healthier dietary choices and lifestyles to children. I commend these 10 companies for coming together in a meaningful new program that will have strong oversight," Ms. Bernstein said. "In addition, the revised Guidelines will assist CARU to continue to hold all advertising to children under 12 to high standards. Together, these efforts are a great step forward."
