A call for a ban on 'junk food' advertising pre-watershed..
 

Children are being targeted by junk food TV ads because companies like KFC and Haribo have found a way around controls, claim health campaigners.

In theory, foods high in sugar, fat and salt are banned from being advertised around programmes that are specifically for children.

However, food companies have resorted to targeting programmes in family peak viewing time, such as Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, X Factor, The Simpsons, and Hollyoaks, which have huge child audiences

Now, doctors, the British Heart Foundation, and the Children’s Food Campaign are calling for controls on the advertising of unhealthy foods to be extended until the 9pm watershed.

An analysis of over 750 adverts found almost one in four TV ads shown between 8pm and 9pm were for food.

Viewers were bombarded with as many as eleven junk food adverts per hour, according to a team of researchers from Liverpool University’s Department of Psychological Sciences

Within these food ads, the most frequently shown were unhealthy products from supermarkets such as Aldi and Morrisons, followed by fast-food chains such as KFC and then chocolate and sweet companies like Lindt and Haribo.

Figures show that children’s TV viewing peaks around 8pm, but regulations created to protect them from targeted ads do not typically cover this time.

An alliance of concerned organisations, Action on Junk Food Marketing, which is headed by the Children’s Food Campaign and the British Heart Foundation (BHF), commissioned the research to spur the Government and broadcasting regulator Ofcom to take action

The researchers said the clips analysed seem designed for a young audience, with nearly a third of food adverts shown between 8pm-9pm using themes of ‘fun’ rather than more adult concerns of price or convenience.


Over half of the clips – 53per cent - used children or child-aged characters to promote their food.

Around a third of ads studied ended with a website or Twitter hashtag - a key way of reaching teenagers, as thirty six per cent of 8-15 year olds use smartphones or laptops ‘most times’ when watching TV.

Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the BHF, said: ‘Parents don’t expect their children to be bombarded with ads for unhealthy food during primetime TV, but that’s exactly what happens.

‘Even when the show is over, junk food marketers could be reaching out to young people online. A lack of regulation means companies are free to lure kids into playing games and entering competitions – all with a view to pushing their product.

‘We want the Government to protect children by switching off junk food adverts on TV until after 9pm and putting rules in place to stop children becoming fair game for internet marketing.

Professor Mitch Blair, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: ‘Currently junk food advertising on television is banned during children’ s programming – but we know that millions of children are watching ‘family friendly’ programmes like the X Factor and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway later in the evening.

‘And we know that advertising to this age group at this time, works; not only are children and young people easily influenced and parents worn down by pester power, but food companies wouldn’t spend huge amounts of money if it wasn’t effective.

‘Extending the ban to 9pm would not only have a positive effect in changing behaviours, but it would also send a clear message to the industry.


'Children should not be commercially exploited and the advertising industry must take some responsibility for helping tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity.’



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Clever marketing get the children hooked on these foods and drinks and eventually the parents will fall in line and further down the line the children grow up and have children of their own. As they already had a childhood immersed in fast food saturated fat and high fructose corn syrup, they have less qualms about their children eating all these unhealthy foods.

Continue the cycle a few generations and we get to where we are now with 2 or 3 generations in one family all happy to gorge their way through copious amounts of French fries and burgers. Vegetables remain a mystery to these people.

As far as the advertisers are concerned job done.

This isn't a new thing. This is how marketing works, by targeting your audience. It was ever thus.

But kids and grown ups love it so the happy world of haribo...... OMG, BAN THEM! :fist:

how many people die of auto accidents every year? why don't they ban car commercials?

KFC will not like this
they need kids dragging parents in them.

When i was a kid we all hated chicken. we wanted pizza or spaghetti. chicken was gross.