Food and drink supply chain write to PM regarding online advertising ban
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), as well as UK Hospitality and the Advertising Association, have written to the Prime Minister highlighting their concerns regarding the proposed online advertising ban consultation, announced last week.
It is co-signed by a number of the FDF’s members, including – Associated British Foods plc, Mars Wrigley UK, Britvic plc, Mondelez International, PepsiCo UK & Ireland, General Mills, Haribo plc, Grenade UK, pladis global, Kellogg’s UK & Ireland, Princes Limited, KP Snacks, and Unilever.
The bodies state that while they support the Government’s public health objectives their “very concerned” by the timing of the consultation, in that it is only open until the end of the year, and “frankly couldn’t come at a worse time for our industry, given we’re coming up to the busiest time of the year, we’re keeping the nation fed during lockdown and are obviously bracing for a potential no-deal Brexit, which is still on the table. It leaves the industry with little time to collate an effective response”.
Those signing the letter represent more than 800 food and drink manufacturers and 3,000 leading UK brands. The food and drink industry alone is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, worth more than £28bn to the economy, employing almost 500,000 people.
They stressed the “indispensable part” food and drink manufacturers have done in feeding the nation during the Covid-19 crisis as well as “working intensively to minimise the inevitable disruption due to the end of EU transition period and the introduction of new trading provisions from the Northern Ireland protocol”.
“Both of these by themselves are very significant undertakings and are both made more perilous by the current operational and financial impacts of the pandemic,” they write.
The food and drink manufacturers added there is no reason to introduce this consultation and demand submission responses with such haste while effectively limiting the opportunity to respond, especially before the end of December.
The bodies also said the evidence base underpinning the proposals is “lacking in both detail and efficacy”. Additionally, there is still no agreed definition of which foods the Government is including in these proposals. They are so broad they even capture family favourites from chocolate to peanut butter to sausage rolls.
They questioned the Government disregarding evidence showing advertisers use sophisticated online tools, which they have demonstrated to government repeatedly, to aim their advertisements
at adult audiences.
The FDF and UK Hospitality and the Advertising Association are asking for an extension to the closing date of the consultation and a meeting to discuss alternative approaches.