Junk food code mooted
PROMOTIONAL toys such as McDonald's Happy Meals and the use of celebrities could disappear from junk food advertising within a year under proposals drawn up by the food and marketing industries.
"Pester power" marketing that urges children to hound their parents into buying certain products is another tactic under the spotlight as solutions are sought to the epidemic of child obesity.
And the Bracks Government's state school ban on soft drinks has been labelled a publicity stunt by the drink industry while schools and teachers said they could not be "the lunch police".
The move by advertisers is to head off the threat of legislation banning the advertising of junk food to children.
According to a draft of the code, written by the Association of National Advertisers with the Food and Grocery Council, ads directed at children for food and beverages "shall not include any direct appeal to children to urge parents
to buy particular products for them".
Another key clause says ads "can't use personalities live or animated to sell products, premiums (promotional toys) or services without clearly distinguishing between commercial promotion and program or editorial content".
In July the association will meet national and state health ministers to discuss advertising and obesity. The draft code has been forwarded to state and federal governments for consideration.
The association's executive director, Collin Segelov, said he would present figures that showed children were exposed to less television than previously thought.
A spokesman for Victorian Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said she was considering the evidence and would not pre-empt the July meeting. "Her view has always been that action needs to be taken at a number of levels to address the obesity crisis and there is no 'magic bullet' solution," the spokesman said.
But yesterday the head of the body that represents Australian advertising agencies broke ranks and went one step further, calling for the words "pester power" to be specifically included in the code.
Russel Howcroft, chairman of the Advertising Federation of Australia, said: "I don't think it's appropriate to ask children to ask their parents to buy something."
The executive officer of the Australasian Society for the Study of Obesity, Dr Tim Gill, said advertisers could not be trusted to self-regulate.
"McDonald's say that, in keeping with the current code, the toy in its Happy Meals promotion is incidental, when in fact it is a major part of the advertising
The wording of the code is so vague that it will allow the lawyers to tie it up in arguments about the definitions of personalities and what is a toy."
McDonald's was unable to return calls by press time.
According to the latest government research, almost one in 10 teenagers drank more than a litre of sugar-laden drinks each day, while more than one in three drank nearly two cans a day. It is these sorts of statistics that have moved the Bracks Government to ban the sale of soft drinks in the 1600 state schools by year's end a move criticised yesterday by the beverage industry.
Major producers no longer sold sugary drinks in primary schools, said Tony Gentile, the Australian Beverage Council's chief executive other than on sports days and fetes.
Mr Gentile did not support the Government including high schools in its ban. "If you haven't taught your children how to make rational choices about their diet by the time they have finished primary school, you are not going to teach them in high school," he said.
Victoria's largest principals' groups have warned that the ban is unworkable and will lead to conflict. The Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals said it had "grave doubts" about whether the policy could be implemented, especially among older students.
"A 16 or 17 or 18-year-old is not going to take kindly to a teacher saying: 'You're not allowed to bring Coca-Cola to school'," said association president Andrew Blair.
Victorian Principals Association president Fred Ackerman said: "The prohibition of students consuming food products that are deemed to be unhealthy is nigh impossible".
Mr Ackerman also said the ban on selling the drinks would lead to the closure of some primary school canteens.
The teachers' union agreed there could be financial implications for some struggling government schools, and said enforcing the ban would affect relationships.
"Being the lunch police puts us on a direct collision course with parents," said the Australian Education Union's Victorian president, Mary Bluett.
She said funding initiatives, such as a subsidy for healthy tuckshop food, would be a better option than a ban.
Education Minister Lynne Kosky was not deterred yesterday by the criticism and lack of enthusiasm.
"Given the extraordinary level of support for this initiative from parents, I'm sure teachers will be happy to support it," she said.
Ms Kosky has urged private schools to follow the move, but peak bodies representing the Catholic and independent sectors said it was up to individual schools to decide how to best promote healthy choices at their school.
Junk food code mooted - National - theage.com.au