Television advertising of food and drink products to children - Options for new restrictions

Published 28|03|2006

Update: 13 June 2006

In response to stakeholder request, Ofcom is today publishing a table which sets out the impact of the pre 9pm exclusion of HFSS advertising on a channel by channel basis. See first link below.

Update: 8 June 2006

Further to its Notification of 19 May (see below), Ofcom is today publishing an update to its consultation on television advertising of food and drink products to children published on 28 March 2006. The consultation will close on 30 June 2006.

Update: 19 May 2006

On March 28, Ofcom published its consultation setting out three options for new restrictions on television advertising of food and drink products to children. There was also an open invitation to all parties to propose a fourth option as an alternative common position, if one could be identified and agreed.

In discussions with all parties involved in the consultation, it has become clear that debate around the potential effects of each option would benefit from an updated analysis of a full year of data – for the whole of calendar year 2005 – rather than the combination of data for late 2004/early 2005, which was all that was available when the consultation was launched.

Ofcom is therefore currently updating its Regulatory Impact Assessment to ensure that all parties with views on this issue are able to draw on the most contemporaneous data available in forming their responses to the consultation.

We intend to be in a position to publish the new data at the end of May. In order to give stakeholders sufficient time to consider this new data, the closing date for the consultation has been extended to 30 June.

A number of stakeholders have also asked for clarification regarding the question of a pre-9pm watershed ban on the television advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Ofcom wishes to make it clear that, while it believes, based on the current evidence, that such a move would be disproportionate, it would welcome stakeholder views on this matter, whether in response to question 5 of the consultation, or otherwise.