Ban on egg advertising - chickens coming home to roost

Richard Watts, coordinator of the Children's Food Campaign, said this today in response to the row about the banning of TV adverts for eggs:

“This story is a storm in an egg cup, but it is one entirely of the food industry's own making.  For years they have argued that there is no such thing as “healthy” and “unhealthy” food.  Because of this BCAP, an industry run group, continue to insist that their rules governing the content of food adverts should apply to all foods, so eggs get caught.

“Children's food campaigners argue that tough rules should only be applied to less healthy food.  We think that foods that pass the Nutrient Profiling test, like eggs, should be advertised without restriction, but unhealthy food adverts must be controlled.

“This will be one of many adverts for healthier foods that will be stopped by the crazy rules that industry insist on.  If they had accepted our advice, this row would never have happened.”

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For more information, please contact Richard Watts on 07710 782719 or Richard@sustainweb.org

Notes to editors:

1. Both fried and boiled eggs are classified as 'healthy' by the nutrient profiling model and so can still be advertised on TV during programmes watched by a high proportion of children.
   
2. The Broadcasting Committee on Advertising Practice (BCAP) sets the rules for the content of advertisements.  Unlike Ofcom BCAP is run, and funded, by industry.
   
3. The adverts for Eggs seems to have failed these two points of the BCAP code:
1. 8.3.2 Excessive consumption
   Advertisements must not encourage or condone excessive consumption of any food.
2. Notes: (1) Interpretation of this rule should be by reference to generally accepted nutritional advice. It would clearly not be inconsistent with shots of someone enjoying a chocolate bar; it would, however, preclude someone being shown eating whole boxes of chocolates in one sitting.
4. The Children's Food Campaign wants to improve children's health and well-being through better food - and food teaching - in schools, and protecting children from junk food marketing.  We are supported by over 300 organisations, almost 300 MPs and 12,000 members of the public.  We were behind the ground-breaking Children's Food Bill introduced into Parliament last year.  The Children's Food Campaign is coordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.