On 16 August, the Thai National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) approved new regulations to restrict HFSS food advertising aimed at children. The regulations cover the quantity and frequency of snack food advertising during children’s programming and the marketing techniques employed. Representatives of television stations, advertising groups, food manufacturers, the Family Network and the Foundation for Consumers also attended the NBC meeting.

 

The new regulations stipulate the following with regard to the quantity and frequency of food advertising during children’s airtime:  

- The minutage of ‘snack food’ advertising during children's programming will be limited to 12 minutes per hour, with no more than 10 minutes allocated to advertising for HFSS foods and the remaining two minutes ‘reserved for promoting healthy eating’.

- Individual products can only be advertised twice every 30 minutes during a children's programme.

 

The following marketing techniques will be prohibited:

- Use of promotions including free gifts, prize draws and contests

- Use of children, cartoon characters or celebrities in commercials advertising food products to children

- Use of exaggerated messages, pictures or sounds that could encourage over-consumption

 

The regulations will apply to advertising around programmes rated for children aged 3-12 years old plus programmes rated for a general audience with content aimed at children. TV stations will be tasked with ensuring that advertisers comply with the rules.

 

In addition, the new regulations also state that any warnings regulated by the Thai Food and Drug Administration that are printed on product labels must be shown in advertisements. The new rules are expected to enter into force in early 2008. The final bill will be drafted by the end of the year with the regulations becoming effective three months later.

 

Source: Advertising Education Forum

 

Through the Responsible Advertising and Children Programme, WFA closely monitors global developments that have implications for advertisers engaged in responsible marketing communications. WFA has initiated a Task Force to deal specifically with issues related to food advertising and regulatory discussions in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Korea. For more information please contact w.gilroy@wfanet.org