F&B firms to opt for responsible marketing towards children

Seven major food and beverage (F&B) companies today announced a common commitment towards responsible marketing to children. The signatories include Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Mars International India, PepsiCo and Hindustan Unilever.

The agenda calls for not advertising F&B products to children under the age of 12 on TV, print or the Internet, except for products that fulfil specific nutrition criteria, based on accepted scientific evidence and/or applicable national and international dietary guidelines.

They also cannot engage in any commercial communications related to F&B products in primary schools, except for products that fulfil specific nutrition criteria. The companies will be commissioning an independent compliance monitoring of the advertising commitment on TV, print media and the internet, starting in January 2011.

This is a voluntary self-regulation by members of the Indian Food and Beverage Industry to demonstrate their commitment to a high level of social responsibility in marketing F&B products to children in India.

It also provides a framework for the companies to help promote healthier dietary choices and a more active lifestyle to Indian children. The companies will make individual commitments on F&B advertising to children. Each will develop and publish a company action plan, which will be subject to monitoring and review. The companies are committing to implement, by 31 December 2010, company-specific voluntary measures on F&B advertising to children.

This is in addition to the existing ASCI Code for Self Regulation in Advertising. It also follows international developments in which the participating companies have made similar individual commitments on F&B advertising to children.