Spending on press food adverts aimed at children rises » Communities » 24dash.com

The amount spent on press adverts for food and drink aimed at children has risen by 42%, Government research showed today.

Press advertising (national press and women's magazines) rose 42% in 2007 compared with 2003, from £4.7 million to £6.7 million.

The combined annual spend on food and drink advertising aimed at children for radio, cinema and internet increased by 11%, from £2.03 million in 2003 to £2.26 million in 2007.

However, overall annual spend for food and drink advertisements aimed at children fell 41%, from £103 million in 2003 to £61 million in 2007, the Department of Health report showed.

The sharpest year-on-year fall for advertising to children was in 2007, when spend dropped 19%.

TV advertising fell sharply in 2007, with a drop of 46% compared with 2003. In particular, there was less child-focused advertising for confectionery (down 62%), fast-food restaurants (down 71%), drinks (non-alcoholic, down 52%) and cereals (down 37%).

However, the advertising of dairy products to children rose 4%.

These figures were set against an overall rise of 19% on the amount spent on food and drink advertising across all media to all age groups.

Today's report, Changes In Food And Drink Advertising And Promotion To Children, was commissioned by the Department of Health to enable future advertising to be measured.

The regulator Ofcom announced new restrictions on advertising food and drink to children in February last year, which now cover all children under the age of 16.
From January, all advertising of foods high in fat, salt or sugar will be banned on dedicated children's channels.

The new restrictions also state that these foods should not be advertised around programmes that would have particular appeal to the under-16s.

Ofcom's assessment was that this package of rules would reduce children's exposure to advertising by 41% for four-15-year-olds and 51% for four to nine-year-olds.

Public health minister, Dawn Primarolo, said: "A third of children in the UK are either overweight or obese - so it's essential that we help our children make healthy choices in what they eat. The food and drink industry has a huge role to play in this.

"I am pleased that there are now fewer ads on TV that are tempting our children into bad eating habits - but we must keep our eye on other types of media.

"I hope that the industry will continue to play its part in reducing the exposure that children have to the promotion of food which is high in fat, salt or sugar."