Food Industry Criticise Draft Children's Advertising Code

FDII today said it was very disappointed with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland's (BAI) new draft Code on Advertising to Children. The group said the draft code was based on flawed science, would have little impact on childhood obesity rates and was a threat to our international reputation as a food island.

FDII Director Paul Kelly said: "The nutrition model in the code is simply copy and pasted from the UK, without any reference to valuable Irish research on the subject. The UK system is unscientific, out-of-date and based on the concept of a 100g measure rather than on the actual amount people eat. This means that foods such as dairy and cereal products, which are vitally important to Irish children's diets, are classified as unhealthy.

"The draft Code is at odds with wider Government food policy, which sets ambitious export targets for Ireland's most important indigenous sector. Promoting our food and drinks industry abroad while undermining it at home sends mixed messages. This confused approach from Government must be resolved quickly."

FDII repeated its call for the BAI to use the best science available rather than adopt a copy and paste approach from the UK. “The world class Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (IUNA) food consumption database, compiled at a cost of over €7 million by the Department of Agriculture, contains all the relevant information to inform a scientific approach to this issue," concluded Mr Kelly.

Source: FDII-Food Industry Criticise Draft Children's Advertising Code