Government seeks to extend Ofcom ruling

by Leigh Holmwood, Media Week 27-Feb-07

The Government has moved to extend the ban on advertising junk food to children to all media, as Ofcom last week confirmed it would implement its proposed restrictions on television.

Public health minister Caroline Flint said the Government wanted to
extend the rules beyond broadcast and would ask the Committee of
Advertising Practice to implement similar restrictions in cinema,

magazines and on the internet.

The Committee of Advertising Practice will meet this week to discuss new
guidelines for non-broadcast media.

A spokesman told Media Week the process would take several weeks, but he
expected the rules and the time frame to adhere closely to the Ofcom
ruling. The Ofcom ruling bans advertising foods high in sugar, fat and
salt to children under 16.

The restrictions on four to nine- year-olds start from April, while the
ban on 10 to 15-year-olds will start next January.

The ban is expected to wipe millions off the revenue of broadcasters
such as MTV and Cartoon Network.

Advertisers and broadcasters had originally threatened to sue if Ofcom
decided to press ahead with the ban. However, last week their opposition
was more muted, with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
declaring it was "disappointed, but not surprised".

Representatives from the magazine, cinema and internet industries were
last week unconcerned about the impact of the pending ban on
non-broadcast media.

Toni Round, BBC Magazines children's publishing director and member of
the kids' group at the Periodical Publishers Association, said she would
oppose a blanket ban on foods such as cheese and yoghurts, but that junk
food advertising had already started to drop off.

"For the last year or so, we have applied our own guidelines over the
ads we take," Round said. "Already the food advertising that we take
tends to be much more healthy."

Leader, page 26.