A consultation on whether new rules to ban the non-broadcast advertising of unhealthy food and drink to children is being launched next year by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP).
Public health bodies and other stakeholders will be asked if new rules governing the promotion of foods and soft drinks high in fat, salt or sugar to children are needed, given the rise in childhood obesity and other health concerns.
In its announcement, CAP said: ‘Through public consultation and against a background of concern about children’s diets, we will ask a broad range of stakeholders whether a change of approach is now needed: an approach that would introduce for the first time in the non-broadcast code, rules dedicated to the targeting of advertising, to children, of food and soft drinks high in fat, salt or sugar.
‘We will now begin a programme of pre-consultation with key consumer, campaigning, public health and industry organisations to further inform its thinking before launching a public consultation in early 2016.’
