YouTube junk food advertising “loop holes” flagged as lockdown makes children more vulnerable

22 May 2020 --- In the latest controversy within the children’s marketing space, Pringles-owner Kellogg’s is dropping advertisements for the snacks from the popular UK exercise sessions “PE With Joe” on YouTube, after it was exposed for “irresponsible advertising.” The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has decided not to pursue a formal regulatory investigation into the issue following one complaint, but health campaigners accused the food company of “irresponsibly” advertising Pringles to families on Joe Wicks’s Body Coach YouTube channel.

The brand has now dropped all of its advertising from Joe Wicks’ Body Coach YouTube channel, rather than face a formal regulatory investigation into its online advertising practices. 

“Action on Salt & Sugar and Children’s Food Campaign are calling on all F&B companies to refrain from advertising any food or drink high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) before 9 pm across all media platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Holly Gabriel, a nutritionist at Action on Sugar (AoS) tells NutritionInsight. “This should be until the UK government is able to resume its previously planned work to introduce a 9 pm television and online watershed on junk food advertising, as part of current Childhood Obesity Plan measures.” 

“We will always expose any advertising practises we are made aware of that directly cause harm to children. The advertising of Pringles during PE with Joe exercise sessions on YouTube was removed after a complaint to the ASA. Companies flaunt these rules regularly, many cases will slip through the cracks unless the government acts to tighten the rules,” Gabriel says. 

In April, a “pre-roll” ad for Pringles appeared to an unspecified number of the hundreds of thousands of children and their parents, who tune in to PE with Joe online every weekday, undermining what is meant to be a health boost during lockdown.

Emerging scientific evidence from this pandemic shows that nutritional deficiencies, obesity and related health conditions could be risk factors for worse outcomes of people hospitalized with COVID-19. There is comprehensive evidence showing the harmful effect of unhealthy food and drink advertising and the government has consulted on plans for a 9 pm watershed on unhealthy food and drinks, the outcome of which is yet to be announced. 

Under current government rules, Kellogg’s, similarly to other food and drink brands, is not allowed to promote its “less healthy” products on children’s television, or any media channel, with an audience of more than 25 percent under-16’s. 

This isn’t the first time that Kellogg’s has advertised on websites and YouTube channels predominately viewed by children. The ASA found similar breaches of its rules by Kellogg’s in late 2018. 

“The ASA in this case allowed Kellogg’s, a known repeat offender, to effectively ‘settle out of court,’ successfully demonstrating that advertising codes to protect children from junk food marketing are not fit for purpose,” continues Gabriel. “Kellogg’s are not the only brand exploiting loopholes via YouTube. We need stricter regulations to make sure this doesn’t happen. We are aware that a complaint has already been made to the ASA about Oreos advertising on the same YouTube channel,” she states. 

“While the Pringles advert was a clear breach of the existing advertising rules meant to protect children from junk food advertising, we are also aware that companies are much more commonly exploiting loopholes in the regulations, such as Haribo and Walkers Crisps currently advertising during Britain's Got Talent. That’s why we’re calling for a 9 pm watershed,” she further details. 

Raising awareness of “clever marketing tools” 
Gabriel points to a wealth of research that details how exposing children to food and drink adverts results in them consuming more calories. “Children and families do not need more salt, more sat fat, more sugar, more excess calories being pushed to them during a pandemic, or indeed at any time. Research shows that seeing 4.4 minutes of food advertising is associated with children eating 60 more calories a day.”

Parents should be aware of the clever marketing tools used by companies to advertise foods directly to their children, says Gabriel. Since lockdown was announced, there have been many advertising practises that seek to exploit the current situation to peddle unhealthy food to the masses. “McDonald’s and others have been marketing heavily branded home activity ideas and resources for children, some of these activities can only be accessed by buying their products and scanning an on-pack QR code. We have also seen hashtags used by the likes of Oreo using #StayHomeStayPlayful and McVities promoting a #biscuitbreak at 11 am everyday.”

“More families than ever are turning to TV and online entertainment during the recent period of lockdown, when children’s opportunities to run and play are restricted,” Gabriel adds. 

Barbara Crowther, Children’s Food Campaign spokesperson, says: “A Pop, Skip and a Jump’ is a misleading and counterproductive message for industry to be pushing. Placing this advertisement directly before Joe’s hugely popular children’s daily PE class is a total betrayal of his work, and highly insensitive, irresponsible marketing.”

“Children are even more of a captive audience during this lockdown, and we are hugely concerned they are still being subjected to unhealthy food advertising like this. The food industry and government’s focus should be on building up people’s health and resilience; not undermining it,” she stresses. 

“The ASA also has an important role to play in enforcing the rules, yet they have allowed Kellogg’s, a known repeat offender, to just ‘settle out of court.’”

“At this time, when health is more important than ever and our health systems and government are under enormous pressure, we are calling for the British food and drink industry to unite in the interests of public health and, through a voluntary ‘moratorium,’ remove all forms of unhealthy advertising across all media platforms before 9 pm during the current pandemic,” adds Katharine Jenner, Campaign Director at AoS.

Last week, global watchdogs issued warnings as consumers continue to face a torrent of information. US and UK authorities both issued warnings to companies for falsely implying their products can have an effect on viruses, while the Australian Department of Health’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has published advice helping consumers to identify a “dodgy” health product advertisement. 

By Elizabeth Green