Children’s Food Campaign hand in ‘super-complaint’ about online junk food marketing to ASA
The Children’s Food Campaign has today handed in a ‘super complaint’, made up of 54 separate letters of complaint, to the Advertising Standards Authority.
The letters complain about the online marketing of junk food which is “high in sugars or fat or salt” towards children.
It was today issued to the ASA after correspondence from Ed Vaizey MP, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries encouraged the Children’s Food Campaign to lodge complaints where advertising rules have been broken.
While certain products cannot by advertised during children’s television programmes, they can be featured in online ads.
Kawther Hashem, of the Children’s Food Campaign said:
“The pervasive nature of online junk food marketing to children really leaves us with no choice but to submit this ‘super-complaint’. It is time for the ASA to face the music: will it or will it not act to protect children from cynical junk food marketing practices?
“This is not just our challenge, but comes from Minister Ed Vaizey, who has expressed his faith in the current self-regulatory system. When the picture is clear, we will inform the Minister how the ASA has performed, so that he will be able to judge the effectiveness of the regulation for himself.”