Children's Nutrition Action Plan - The Food Commission

Key findings included that:
• 73% of children ask parents to buy sweets and crisps that they had seen advertised;
• 71% had bought something on the strength of a free gift or a special offer;
In an examination of TV commercials shown during children’s viewing times, Blackmail
found that between 21% and 58% of all commercials were for food products. A nutritional
analysis of the advertised foods found that
• Between 88% and 99% of those foods were high in fat and/or sugar and/or salt;
• 53% of the foods were cakes, biscuits and confectionery.
Government advice states that fatty and sugary foods should form a maximum 7% of the diet.
The report states that there is strong evidence that the cumulative effect of this advertising
helps to ‘undermine progress towards national dietary improvement… by setting bad
examples, particularly to children’.
Co-op Codes of Practice
In response to this research, the Co-op has taken steps to address its own contribution to the
marketing of foods to children. As first steps, it has stopped its own advertising of fatty,
sugary and salty foods during children’s TV viewing times, and is actively campaigning for
the ITC to impose restrictions on such advertising. It is also calling for people and
organisations throughout the food chain to follow its lead.
The Co-op code of practice on advertising to children
• The Co-op will not advertise sugary/fatty and salty foods and drinks:
- During key children’s viewing hours on TV;
- In specific children’s titles;
- Adjacent to children’s pages in newspapers.
• Advertisements aimed specifically at children will not contain any sugary/fatty/salty
foods.
• In advertisements aimed at adults for children (e.g. Back to School), one third will be ‘eat
more’ lines as classified by the Balance of Good Health.
• Co-op Brand in-store demos will not demonstrate sugary/fatty/salty products aimed
specifically at children.
• Co-op in-store theatre will not use high-profile character merchandising, including TV
Creatures, to promote sugary/fatty/salty products/categories aimed at children.
• The Co-op will not encourage purchase of sugary/fatty/salty foods through free gifts.
• The Co-op will not use any cartoon characters, including TV Creatures on the packaging
of sugary/fatty/salty foods.
The Co-op’s Children’s Products Policy
• Appropriate nutritional balance compared with similar products particularly relative level
of fat, saturates, sugar and salt.
• No pharmacologically active substance, e.g. caffeine, alcohol.
• Particular attention to additives and allergens.
• Addition of minerals and vitamins should be:
- Consistent with similar regular products;
The Children’s Nutrition Action Plan, published by The Food Commission
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