WASHINGTON -- Food makers, amid increasing calls for regulation stemming from obesity concerns, are proposing stricter limits on kid-aimed food ads. Meanwhile, their biggest lobby released a survey summarizing their efforts to make their products more healthful.
The suggestions by the Grocery Manufacturers Association here would stiffen the voluntary advertising code of the industry-funded Children's Advertising Review Unit and augment oversight of CARU, which has been criticized as having no enforcement power.
Representatives of Campbell Soup, General Mills, Hershey, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, Nestle USA, Sara Lee, PespiCo and Unilever USA crafted the proposals. If approved by CARU, they would:
- Let the public file complaints about ads themselves and follow the complaint process via the Web site. Now, complaints are filed by CARU itself.
- Increase CARU's staff and expand its outside advisory board to include health-and-wellness-oriented experts.
- Let CARU prescreen all advertisers' ads, not just those of CARU members.
- Create guidelines that address computer game ads, ban paid product placement on kids' TV programming and ensure appropriate use of licensed characters in ads.
Aurora Gonzalez, director of health and wellness public relations for PepsiCo, while maintaining self-regulation has been effective, acknowledged child obesity has led to heightened concern about "activities that may be offshoots of obesity.
"I think we are acting proactively, because the reality is, we have not heard a consumer cry for this kind of thing," she said.
Another company that worked on the proposals, General Mills, declined through a spokeswoman to comment specifically. "General Mills strongly believes that CARU continues to be effective, and we're a strong supporter of self-regulation of advertising," Mary Beth Thorsgaard said.
The proposals don't provide standards for product packaging or, as the Center for Science in the Public Interest has called for, ingredients. Stephanie Childs, a GMA spokeswoman, explained that CARU's oversight role is limited to advertising, adding that companies have already been voluntarily reformulating products to make them healthier. "Our belief," she said, "is that all these products can be part of a healthy diet."
The proposals come amid increased calls for government oversight amid concern about the rising child-obesity rate. A federal workshop examining issues related to child obesity and self-regulation was set for last week; that's where the GMA planned to announce its proposals. A bill under consideration would give the government power to regulate kid-food ads. The Center for Science in the Public Interest last week called on the government to require health warnings on sodas. State measures to limit junk-food sales in schools are sweeping the country.
The GMA argues that banning school sales won't address obesity, calling instead for more nutrition education and physical education. While groups like the Center for Informed Food Choices say food makers routinely violate the voluntary ad standards by condoning excess consumption and misleading people about foods' benefits, the GMA has maintained that self-regulation works.
As if to underscore that point, it released last week results of a survey of 43 packaged-goods makers during 2004 and 2005 that found nearly all are making nutritional improvements to products. Saturated and trans fat reductions were the most common change; next came calorie reductions, followed by sugar and carb reductions and fortifications. About half of the companies have introduced children's packaging sizes, and about half also offer children's educational kits. About three-fourths have policies concerning advertising to kids; fewer than half support CARU's operation.
"What this shows is that companies are committed to doing what we've been saying," Childs said. "Companies are taking a multipronged approach."
