Junk Food Ad Spend Down, but Moving Across UK Media

Junk food ads have been appearing less on British television, thanks to an April 2007 ban on ads that mislead nutritional value, encourage excessive food/beverage consumption, or otherise promote an unhealthy lifestyle to kids 16 and under.

 In July '07, the limitations were
extended to magazines, the internet, newspapers, billboards and
cinema by the Committe of Advertising Practices, the industry's
self-regulatory body for non-broadcast media.

The new regulations are impacting the
overall amount of junk food ads targeted to children as companies
"clean up their act" and remove licensed characters and
links to children's programs and eliminate tie-ups with films and
free toys, writes The Guardian.

In fact, child-themed food advertising
across all media fell 41% between 2003 and 2007, according to a
report from the Department of Health.

But though TV junk food ads for kids
have decreased 46%, child-targeted press ads have gone up 42% and
those aimed at kids across radio, cinema, and the internet have risen
11% over the same period.

A report by Nielsen on-line UK found
that the top 20 websites on which junk food companies advertised were
among the most popular with children.