The company behind kids' treats such as Twister and Mini Milk ice lollies will stop targeting children in its marketing from January next year.
Global giant Unilever, which owns the Walls brand alongside family favourites such brands as Ben and Jerry's, Marmite and Pot Noodle, has announced that will stop marketing to under-16s from January next year.
The ban will include both social and traditional media and influencers will also be barred from any kind of promotion designed to appeal to that age group. This ban will include not using influencers, celebrities or social media stars who are under the age of 16 or primarily appeal to children under the age of 16.
See more: Why calorie counts are being added to menus across the UK
“Recognising the power that social media and influencer marketing can have on children’s choices, we believe it’s important to raise the bar on responsible marketing to a minimum age of 16 years-old across both traditional and social media,” Unilever president for ice cream Matt Close said. “By making these changes, our goal is to continue to reduce children’s exposure to advertising from the food and beverage industry, and instead support parents to select appropriate treats, to be enjoyed from time to time.”
Unilever's ban will come into force three months after the Governement's 9pm watershed for junk food advertising, announced last June. The move, which followed a public consultation, aims to improve he health of children across the UK as new restrictions will mean they are less exposed to advertising of unhealthy foods
The new rules on paid-for advertising of foods high in fat, salt and/or sugar (HFSS) apply to TV and UK on-demand programmes, as well as restrictions on paid-for advertising as part of the government’s ongoing commitment to tackle unhealthy eating habits at source. A total of 79% of public consultation respondents supported a 9pm watershed on TV while 74% agreed with the introduction of further HFSS advertising restrictions online.
Public Health Minister, Jo Churchill, said: In order to keep the restrictions proportional, these new regulations will apply to food and drink products of most concern to childhood obesity and will ensure the healthiest in each category will be able to continue to advertise. This approach means foods such as honey, olive oil, avocados and Marmite - another Unilever brand -are excluded from the restrictions.
The restrictions will apply to all businesses with 250 or more employees that make and/or sell HFSS products, meaning small and medium businesses will be able to continue advertising. Health campaigners welcomed the further tightening of ad rules, but voiced concerns. “The proposals represent a significant step forward in reducing exposure to a constant stream of unhealthy food and drink advertising on TV and online,” said Barbara Crowther, coordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign. “We remain concerned that the proposals will still allow massive multinational junk food companies and delivery platforms to run big brand campaigns.”
The exemption for small companies means that Facebook and Google, where small companies that cannot afford TV ads tend to invest their marketing spend, will continue to feature significant amounts of junk food adverts.
The link between childhood obesity and and advertising is well established, according to Dr Emma Boyland, from The University of Liverpool said. "Research has repeatedly demonstrated that exposure to unhealthy food advertising has a negative impact on children’s diets," she said. "Any parent can tell you that their children are bombarded with adverts, marketing and all kinds of overt (and covert) stimuli that look to influence their food choices. With UK children consistently among the most obese and overweight in Europe, it’s barely worth disputing it works,"
The effect of advertising is illustrated by the results of a ban on junk food advertising by Transport for London, which started in 2019.
A study has estimated it has has contributed to a 1,000 calorie decrease in unhealthy purchases in people’s weekly shopping - the equivalent of 1.5 chocolate bards per person per week. Researchers led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine compared almost two million weekly grocery purchases of products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) by households in London and the north of England between June 2018 and December 2019.
