Food companies are in the spotlight for failing to protect children and teenagers from junk food marketing, with many examples identified in a new report by the Obesity Policy Coalition.
The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) has named a number of companies in its report titled Overbranded, Underprotected, which details areas of weakness in food marketing.
Examples listed in the report included McDonald’s sponsorship of Little Athletics, as well as packaging with popular cartoon characters and animations such as Minions and the Coco-Pops monkey, and Disney-branded foods.
The report also criticised in-store promotions, free toys and other giveaways in Happy Meals and Kinder Surprise eggs.
“Under the current codes, food companies and fast food chains can easily argue an advertisement isn’t directed primarily at children, even if it still blatantly appeals to kids,” OPC executive manager Jane Martin said.
“For example, it has been argued that advertisements with childlike animations and images are targeting adults – as they invoke nostalgia – rather than children.
“Kids are also exposed to a lot of junk food marketing online in highly targeted ways that are entertaining and fun, but also manipulative.”
Alcohol beverage advertising is also is the crosshairs following the release of the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC)'s second quarterly report.
This quarter saw a higher than usual number of breaches of the ABAC standards, and while most companies acted promptly to remedy the breach, Victorian retailer Premix King Ascot Vale had not fully complied with a determination finding two posts on its Facebook page, and had failed to age-restrict its page.
ABAC has referred the matter to the Victorian Commission for Gaming and Liquor Regulation for investigation.
“This quarter, placement breaches related to a billboard located within 150m of a high school, placement outside commercial television industry guidelines, and a minor receiving an alcohol ad due to an error by the social media platform," ABAC's independent chair Harry Jenkins said.
“The majority of the content breaches this quarter related to digital and social media activity. Namely, depicting under 25-year-olds, having strong or evident appeal to under 18s, promoting excess consumption, promoting consumption of alcohol during long car drives, and suggesting alcohol can create a change in mood and promoting a particular cocktail as ‘healthy’.
“It is clear from this quarter’s results that advertisers will need to exercise greater care when recruiting talent, including engaging social media influencers, to ensure their age and appearance comply with the code. It is also incumbent on advertisers to engage appropriate age-gating controls across all of their social media activity.”
