The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) has launched a public consultation on the introduction of new rules on the advertising to children of food and soft drink products in non-broadcast media, including online.

The action comes in response to wider societal concerns around childhood obesity, as well as the need to ensure the advertising rules reflect changing media habits amongst young people.

CAP, which writes and maintains the UK Advertising Codes, proposes to:

• Introduce a new rule to the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Direct and Promotional Marketing (the CAP Code) to limit where advertising for food and soft drink products high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) can be placed in all non-broadcast media, including traditional and online media
• Explore through consultation whether the new rule should prohibit HFSS product advertising in media targeted at or of particular appeal to children under 12 or under 16
• Apply the existing rules prohibiting the use of promotions and licensed characters and celebrities popular with children to HFSS product advertising only, allowing more creative ways for healthier foods to be advertised to children.

The food and drink industry has backed the proposed changes, with both associations and manufacturers showing their support.

The Food and Drink Federation’s Tim Rycroft says, “Britain’s food and drink brands have come together to support the further tightening of advertising codes based on current nutrient profiles, an example of voluntary industry action moving faster and further than regulation can.

“We support a change to the current code, which would ensure that ads for foods and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt are not targeted at under 16s in any medium, including online. After all, we live in a digital age.”

Matt Barwell, Britvic’s CMO, adds, “We all recognise that childhood obesity and obesity more widely is one of the most critical public health issues we face today. The evidence points to factors such as parental influence, access to exercise and education having a far greater impact on children’s food choices than advertising. However, at Britvic we welcome the review as we believe as brand owners we have a duty to protect children and that we need a series of changes to address the issue.

“We pride ourselves on the strength of our Global Marketing Code and are committed to high standards when it comes to protecting children. These proposed changes would lead to greater alignment between the CAP codes and our internal benchmark, which we welcome.

“At Britvic, we never advertise to children under 12 years, do not use licensed characters in our advertising, never associate our brands with online games or gaming (advergames) or engage in any in-game marketing. Furthermore, we never advertise high sugar products to under 16s.

“We remain committed to using the power of our brands as a ‘force for good’ and encouraging healthier lifestyles early on to make a real difference in children’s lives. Obesity is a complex problem, and so there is no silver bullet when it comes to tackling it. It will take creativity, collaboration, effort and time to drive change, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise. As brand owners and advertisers, we of course have a role to play.”

The consultation closes at 5pm on 22 July 2016.

James Best, chairman of CAP, says, “Too many children in the UK are growing up overweight or even obese, potentially damaging their health in later life and imposing a high cost on society. Advertising is just one small factor in a very complex equation, but we believe we can play a positive part in addressing an urgent societal challenge.

“In proposing new rules, our aim is to strike the right balance between protecting children and enabling businesses to continue advertising their products responsibly.”