Food for thought: A guide to the new TV food rules

07 February 2007

The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) invites all those involved in the advertising of food and soft drinks on TV to a free morning master class on the new TV rules for food, drink and HFSS (High in fat, salt or sugar) products. Taking place on Wednesday 28 February at BAFTA London, executives from BCAP and the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) will explain the rules and how they are likely to be interpreted and enforced.

Ofcom has announched the new rules restricting the advertising of food and drink to children on TV. The new rules mark a dramatic change in the way certain products can be advertised both in terms of content and scheduling.  Those changes come into immediate effect for the content of new advertisements, with all advertisements having to adhere to the content restrictions from 1 July and the scheduling restrictions from 1 April. The rules will be enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The aim of the seminar is to guide marketing and advertising professionals through the new rules, to help them build their knowledge and understanding of why the rules are there and how they will be applied, to explain how and when the rules will be implemented and the implications they will have for food product ads. Presented by BCAP’s Code Policy team and the BACC, the morning briefing gives advertisers the opportunity to learn how to keep their TV ads compliant with the TV advertising code.

Of the event at BAFTA, Secretary of BCAP, Roger Wisbey, says “The new rules for the advertising of food and soft drinks to children on TV represent a significant shift of the regulatory goalposts. The briefing offers everyone the opportunity to improve their understanding of what the rules are and how they will be applied. By getting to grips with the changes now, advertisers can help avoid producing campaigns that fall foul of the codes and attracting undesirable negative publicity.”