IFBA Releases 2015 Accenture Compliance Monitoring Report on Food and Beverage Marketing to Children
Finds excellent compliance by the International Food & Beverage Alliance with its global responsible marketing policy
On April 13, 2016, IFBA released the Accenture Media Management (Accenture) 2015 Compliance Monitoring Report on Global Advertising on Television, Print and Internet of food and non-alcoholic beverages in child-directed media by member companies of the International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA).
We are pleased to note that Accenture, a leading global provider of media auditing services, has reported that, in this seventh year of compliance monitoring, IFBA members continued to demonstrate a high rate of compliance – 97% for television advertising, 99.8% for internet advertising and 100% for print advertising in child-directed media.
Key Facts in the 2015 Accenture Compliance Report
- Television compliance rate – 97%: More than half a million (718,451) television ads on 397 channels reviewed over a three-month period in 10 markets – Brazil, China (Shanghai), Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- Print compliance rate – 100%: 71 print publications reviewed in 5 markets – Brazil, China, India, Russia, Singapore and South Africa.
- Internet compliance rate – 99.8%: 86 websites reviewed in 4 markets – Brazil, China, Russia and Singapore
- To ensure transparency and credibility, all the media research data analyzed by Accenture was gained from sources independent of IFBA companies and their associated media agencies. Accenture also chose the period to be monitored after the advertising space had already been purchased by the companies.
About the IFBA Global Policy on Advertising and Marketing Communications to Children
IFBA’s global policy is in line with the aims of the 2010 WHO Set of Recommendations on the Marketing of Foods and Non-alcoholic Beverages to Children and designed to change how and what we advertise to children – reducing the impact on children of the marketing of foods high in fat, sugar and salt and ensuring that our marketing communications are aligned with the promotion of balanced diets and healthy, active lifestyles.
The global policy sets out the minimum criteria required for advertising and marketing communications to children under 12 years on television, in print and online, that are paid for, or controlled by, IFBA companies in every country where they market their products. Members either commit to only advertise better-for-you products to children under 12 years using specific nutrition criteria, based on reputable scientific evidence and/or national and international dietary guidelines, or not to advertise at all to children under 12 years. Members also commit not to engage in product marketing communications to children in primary schools, except if requested by, or agreed with, the school administration for educational purposes.
In September 2014, members strengthened the global policy with a number of changes which will come into effect at the end of 2016: the scope of the policy will be extended from television, print and the internet to marketing communications on virtually all media; in addition to rules on placement, rules on content will apply to ensure that companies do not use marketing techniques designed to appeal primarily to children under 12 for products that do not meet better-for-you nutrition criteria; and in an effort to enhance and expand regional and national marketing pledges, harmonize nutrition criteria as members have done for the EU and U.S.A. marketing pledges.
