ASA compliance survey reveals food and soft drink advertising is in good health

15 January 2008

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has published the findings of its Food and Soft Drink Advertising Survey 2007. In July 2007 the ASA’s Compliance team conducted a monitoring exercise to measure the compliance rate of food advertisements with new tightened content rules. The report reveals an extremely high compliance rate, with 99.2% of ads surveyed deemed to be compliant with the Advertising Codes. Significantly, no ads breached the new food rules.

From 1 July 2007 all TV and non-broadcast food and soft drink product advertisements had to comply with new content rules. The new rules were introduced following concern about rising levels of childhood obesity. The restrictions are designed to reduce the demand for less healthy food options and to encourage the promotion of healthier alternatives.

In total 759 ads were monitored and only six, 0.8%, were found in breach of the Advertising Codes. The team assessed 292 television ads, seven direct mailings, 20 online ads, 33 posters, 377 press ads, three cinema ads and 27 circulars. Just two television advertisements out of 292, 0.7%, breached the BCAP Television Code. Only four of 467 non-broadcast advertisements, 0.9%, breached the CAP Code. The breaches contravened other areas of the Codes and not the new food rules.

Follow-on monitoring work will be conducted by the ASA Compliance team to ensure that compliance remains high. The Government, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Ofcom have all signalled their intention to review the effect of the rules in 2008.

Commenting on the survey Director General of the ASA Christopher Graham says: “The compliance rate of advertisements with the new food rules is encouraging and highlights the benefits of a self-regulatory system for advertising standards. The industry has responded to Government and consumer concern about childhood obesity and the advertising landscape has changed as a result. The ASA will continue to monitor ads and work closely with the industry to ensure that compliance rates remain high.”

Click here to access the Food and Soft Drink Advertising Survey 2007