Advertisers call for review of New Zealand's advertising codes

The Association of New Zealand Advertisers (ANZA) has requested the review of the country's current Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Codes for advertising to children.

According to the association, responsible self-regulation of advertising requires that advertising codes are reviewed regularly to ensure they are fit for purpose. Given that many major food and drink advertisers have made a deliberate commitment to ensure they do not target their advertising to children, ANZA is keen to see consistency so that the commitment of responsible advertisers is not undermined.

While admitting that the current ASA codes in New Zealand are more comprehensive when compared to what is in place in other countries, Lindsay Mouat, ANZA's CEO, added: "Calls to reduce advertising to children are typically repeated from overseas without reference to the standards already in place in New Zealand. For example the New Zealand advertising codes' apply to all media %u2013 including brand websites and social media".

"Unfortunately misinformation and sensationalism become obstacles to progress on the thorny issue of food marketing and children. And the default becomes a simplistic call for bans on food advertising to children without recognition for the tight controls already in place," added Mouat.

Obesity and Advertising Food to Children

Advertising remains an easy target in the clamor for action to address obesity. In this debate on obesity, a common refrain is that television is awash with advertising to children. This is far from the reality.

Advertising in school-age children's program times is strictly limited. Any foods or beverages advertised in this zone must be approved under the Children's Food (CF) classification against nutrient profiling standards3. The result is that only 5% of advertising in children's time zones are for food or beverages.

Industry Commitment

Many major advertisers have made a deliberate commitment to ensure they do not target their advertising to children.

Last year, the biggest multinationals, which form the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA), wrote to the head of the World Health Organisation to make a series of new commitments on labelling, product reformulation and innovation and, notably, a reinforced commitment4 not to market food and drinks in any country that do not meet strict nutrition criteria to children under the age of 12.

For more information, contact ANZA.