IPA slams FSA over call for pre-watershed ad ban

by Joanna Bowery, Marketing 21-Jun-06

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has branded the Food Standards Agency (FSA) 'sensationalist, misguided and unjustified', after it called on Ofcom to ban the advertising of food and soft drinks to children before the 9pm watershed.

The FSA was responding to an Ofcom consultation on proposals to restrict
such advertising to children. It is in favour of introducing a pre-9pm
watershed on ads promoting products that are high in fat, salt and

sugar, arguing that the restrictions would offer protection for children

up to the age of 15.

The IPA said such a ban would not solve obesity, and would lead to a
multimillion-pound loss in revenue for broadcasters. 'We see its call
for a ban purely as a tactic to grab the headlines and put pressure on
Ofcom two weeks before the closing date of the consultation,' it said in
a statement.

According to Marina Palomba, the IPA's legal director, the FSA does not
have the remit to consider wider social issues. 'Obesity levels have
increased since playing fields have been sold off and compulsory sports
removed from the school curriculum,' she said.

The IPA also accused the FSA of ignoring the impact of proposals to
prevent the use of licensed characters and celebrities in ads aimed at
kids under 10.

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