Food advertising - the next set of demands

On the face of it, the first line of this BBC article is stupefyingly obvious.

 

Brands that make unhealthy foods will be able to get round the government's junk food advertising ban if their adverts do not show products that break the rules.

 

Yes, that's how rules work. If you comply with them you 'get round' them. 

 

There is, of course, an agenda here. After a brief period of celebration following the government's introduction of new advertising regulations on Tuesday, the 'public health' lobby is teeing itself up for its next set of demands.

 

It means that adverts from fast food chains, for example, will not face restrictions as long as they do not feature products such as burgers or fries.

 

You can see where this is going, I'm sure.

 

Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, an umbrella group for health campaigners, had argued for brands to be included in the ban, and said she would like to see firms respond by making their products healthier.

"That would be the ideal thing, but they can get round it by just showing the brand and it's unclear what effect that would have, above and beyond what we've already got," she added.

"We are very supportive of [the restrictions] coming in as planned, but in future I think we'd like to see where loopholes could be closed".

 

So it's not about the food. It's about the companies. Or, as these cranks call them, the "unhealthy commodity industries".

But hang on. Didn't these very same people say that one of the 'benefits' of the ban on 'less healthy' food advertising was that it would encourage companies to reformulate their products with less sugar, fat and salt? Even in the quote above we are told that Jenner has "argued for brands to be included in the ban, and said she would like to see firms respond by making their products healthier." But if companies can't advertise at all - not even their own brand logo - what would be the point of reformulating their products?

It's a revealing quote because it shows her in mid-air, jumping from one horse to another. Her new line is that food companies she dislikes shouldn't be able to advertise at all, but she can't help parroting her old line about reformulation. It's a glitch, but I'm sure she'll smooth it out with practice and the old argument about reformulation will be erased from history. 

The BBC also says of the ban... 

But details of the restrictions, unveiled earlier this week, also showed that sugary breakfast cereals, crumpets and certain types of porridge would also fall on the ban - prompting criticism from some business owners.

 

Criticism has gone well beyond business owners, but the BBC can't admit this. The scope of the ban has been roundly mocked as the public have finally realised they've been sold a pig in a poke. I wish it would be criticised by business owners! How long are the broadcasters and food companies going to take this lying down? Where are they? I haven't heard a peep from the Food and Drink Federation this week, for example. Meanwhile, Chris van Tulleken and Greg Fell are in The Times claiming that the food industry is using "tobacco industry tactics". Maybe it's time to wake up, lads?

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