Unilever Will Stop Advertising Food and Drink to Under-16s

Unilever will stop marketing food and beverage products to children under the age of 16 across traditional and social media. The global move comes as brands face increased scrutiny around how they market products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) to young people.In most countries around the world, the food and beverage industry restricts marketing to children under 13 years old.Since 2020, Unilever has had additional safeguards in place which banned the promotion of food and drinks to kids under 12 in traditional media and to under-13s in social media.The new self-imposed regulations, however, take this even further with tighter restrictions that aim to "raise the bar" across the industry.The Ben & Jerry's and Hellmann's owner has pledged not to target under-16s with any marketing or social media communications. It's also promised not to collect or store minors' data.Neither will it use influencers or celebrities who are either kids themselves or appeal to children to promote its food portfolio, which also includes Magnum and Cornetto.Brands are expected to comply with these guidelines by January 2023 as Unilever places a greater premium on responsible advertising.Matt Close, president of ice cream at Unilever said in a statement: “Recognizing 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."He added: "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.” Sour grapes for sugary brands In markets including the U.K. and Portugal, HFSS food or beverage marketing cannot be targeted at under-16s. Later in 2022 or early in 2023, the U.K. government is set to introduce controversial legislation that will see a complete ban on the marketing of HFSS food and drink on digital channels and on TV before 9pm. These new laws hope to tackle the growing issue of childhood obesity in the country, with further regulation potentially set to come to the European continent. According to the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC), an umbrella group for 46 independent consumer organisations from 32 countries, there is a "blatant need" for more binding rules. Recent research from the watchdog found failures from brands to prevent children from being exposed to junk food ads on TV and online. Monique Goyens, BEUC’s director general, said in a statement: “Time and time again, self-regulation has shown it is unable to truly restrict ads targeting children." “Knowing the powerful influence of food advertisement on kids’ eating, coupled with an obesity epidemic, policymakers can no longer bury their heads in the sand," she added. "Unhealthy food marketing is only set to keep growing if we don’t put an end to it now. It is high time the EU got its act together and finally came up with rules with teeth.” In the U.K., advertising trade bodies representing brands including the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) have voiced strong opposition to further restrictions. Last year, ISBA’s director-general, Phil Smith, said the advertising community agreed Britain had an obesity problem that needed action, but added the government had “tied itself in knots” by imposing regulation. “There is no evidence that what Ministers are proposing will have any meaningful impact on children’s health," he explained. "The possibilities of technology have been ignored, and industry’s attempts to deliver the desired outcome in a way which would also prevent economic harm to business have been waved away." British Marketing Sector Welcomes Potential Delay to Junk Food Ad Ban

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Unilever Will Stop Advertising Food and Drink to Children Under the Age of 16

The CPG giant has pledged to further restrict the types of advertisements it shows to minors

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