Weak advertising codes 'fail children'

Food advertisers' self regulation of their ads to children fails even their own weak standards and encourages kids to consume junk food, a new study claims.

The study by researchers at Otago University's Wellington campus says the failure to implement parts of the codes on advertising, and "unjustified and inconsistent" decisions on complaints are a breach of United Nations requirements designed to protect children.

The researchers have called for the Government to introduce tougher controls. They cite a 2007 survey in which 82 per cent of parents and grandparents said they wanted a ban on advertising of unhealthy food to children.

A third of children are overweight or obese. Advertising is overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority with complaints handled by the Advertising Standards Complaints Board.

The study by public health researcher Louise Thornley and colleagues says the board fails to acknowledge the targeting of children by advertisers to pester their parents for unhealthy food as a valid ground for complaints.

The researchers also found "substantial screening out of advertising complaints by the chair of the board before they can be considered".

"One board decision we looked at ruled that the advertiser had not directed the ad at children and therefore the children's code did not apply," said Ms Thornley.

"But in fact the main actor was a child, the product was lollies and the ad was screened at 6.50pm when many children are still watching TV."

The ad was for Natural Confectionary Co animal-shaped sweets.

"In another ad which ran for several weeks, [Bluebird] potato chips were promoted as 'an ideal addition to a healthy balanced school lunch', totally inconsistent with Government policy on healthy eating.

"They upheld the complaint, but the point we were making is there aren't any penalties for advertisers. They just pull the ad. It may have run for a week, so it's a weak system."

Several countries have banned food advertising to children and the World Health Assembly will next month debate whether to support a complete ban on all marketing of junk food to children.

Advertising authority chairman Rick Osborne last night said the researchers' criticisms were unjustified. Withdrawing an ad was a penalty because of the money spent preparing them.

"It comes at a cost to the agency and the client. In one case recently it was $1 million. There are large incentives to comply with the codes."

Health Minister Tony Ryall has no plans to impose a tougher regime on advertisers.

When asked if the research would prompt the minister to act, his spokesman pointed to the imminent release by the authority of a new code on advertising of food to children, following a review of its codes on advertising food and on advertising to children.

Mr Osborne was unable to give details of the new code last night.