Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) has released its 2014 Compliance Report on The Canadian Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, once again citing “outstanding” compliance among the 18 participating companies.
Companies participating in the voluntary program have committed to advertising only products that meet specified nutrition criteria to children under 12, or not direct any advertising toward this particular audience.
Participants in the program, which launched in 2007, include Campbell Canada, Coca-Cola, General Mills Canada, Kellogg Canada, Kraft Canada, PepsiCo Canada and Post Foods Canada.
The past year also saw the introduction of what ASC called a “major program milestone” – the adoption of stronger new uniform nutrition criteria by product category to determine which products can be advertised to children.
According to ASC, the new criteria:
- Set uniform nutrition criteria for eight distinct product categories: Milk and alternatives; grain, soups; meat and alternatives; vegetables and fruit; occasional snacks; mixed dishes and meals on the go
- Include calorie limits for products within all eight categories
- Include criteria for “nutrition components to limit,” such as saturated and trans fats, sodium and total sugars
- Include criteria for nutrition components to encourage, such as vitamins, minerals and fibre
ASC said the new, more stringent criteria, which take effect Dec. 31, “significantly raise the bar” for products that will be included in commitments under the program. It also marks the first time that all products a participant wishes to advertise directly to children under 12 must meet criteria for nutrition components to both limit and to encourage. Products that have not been reformulated to meet the new criteria can no longer be advertised to children under 12 as of Dec. 31.
The organization said since the program was instituted, participants have reformulated and enhanced the nutritional profile of many of the products advertised to children under 12. Currently, no advertised product in the program has more than 200 calories, while each advertised meal (eg: a McDonald’s Happy Meal), has fewer than 600 calories.
In addition to ongoing monitoring, ASC also conducted a spot check of children’s TV advertising, monitoring eight days of child-directed TV ads on three stations aimed at an under 12 audience: Teletoon, YTV and Nickelodeon. The spot check covered 48 hours of programming encompassing 1,288 commercials.
As in previous years, the majority of advertising aimed at children was for toys, games, DVDs, in-theatre movies and attractions. During the 2014 spot check, food and beverage commercials accounted for just 12% of the total, down from as much as 20% in previous years.
Of the food and beverage commercials, 99% were for products covered under the program, with ASC encountering only two food commercials by non-participants. Both were adult directed ads, with one for a family restaurant and another for a cheese product.
Of the remaining commercials aired by participants in the program, 67% were for grain products (cereal), 15% were for quick-service restaurants meals and 4% were for dairy products. An additional 14% of commercials were for “other,” which ASC defined as snack products.
Of the 18 participants in the program, 11 did not direct advertising to children under 12: Coca-Cola, Ferrero, Hershey, Kraft Canada, Mars, McCain, Mondelez, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever and Weston Bakeries. The other seven participants committed to advertising only “better for you” products.
Cereal companies were the most active advertisers overall, with General Mills advertising 11 products including Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Fruit Gushers and Fruit by the Foot, and Kellogg advertising cereals including Froot Loops, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and Corn Pops, as well as breakfast items including Eggo Waffles.
