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Companies to encourage healthy lifestyles in ads aimed at kids

Healthcare Strategist Trend Watch, November 17, 2006

Ten of the largest food and beverage companies, including Coca-Cola and McDonald's, have pledged to change the way they advertise their products to children, according to the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) and the National Advertising Review Council. The newly formed Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative is a voluntary self-regulation program designed to "shift the mix of advertising messaging to children to encourage healthier dietary choices and healthy lifestyles," according to a release.

Under the terms of the initiative, participating companies commit to

 devote at least half their advertising directed to children on television, radio, print, and Internet to promote healthier dietary choices and/or to messages that encourage good nutrition or healthy lifestyles

 limit products shown in interactive games to healthier dietary choices, or incorporate healthy lifestyle messages into the games

 refrain from advertising food or beverage products in elementary schools

The CBBB has also approved "significant revisions" to its self-regulatory children's advertising guidelines, which are monitored by the CBBB's Children's Advertising Review Unit.

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