Advertising Standards Bureau - Review of Operations 2013 | Page 47

Food and Beverage Advertising
There are a range of self-regulatory
Codes and Initiatives which control
advertising of food and beverages and
advertising to children generally.
It is important to note the scope and
intention of these Initiatives and of
the AANA Codes which also regulate
food and beverage advertising. These
Codes and Initiatives do not purport
to stop all advertising of food and
beverages to children.

AANA Food and Beverages
Advertising and Marketing
Communications Code
The ASB administers the AANA Food and
Beverages Code (the AANA Food Code).
The AANA Food Code has provisions around
advertising food and beverages generally. Part
3 of this Code has specific restrictions around
advertising food and beverages to children and
these are discussed below in relation to cases
under the Food Code.
During 2013, 22 cases were considered under the
AANA Food Code. Eight of these cases were also
considered under the RCMI or QSRI and are
discussed below.
The key issues to be drawn from cases considered
primarily under the AANA Food Code
during 2013 relate to truth and accuracy and
excess consumption.

Section 2.1 - Truth and Accuracy/
Nutritional composition of the product
The truth of claims and statements made in
food advertisements is an issue that the Board
can consider under section 2.1 of the Food
Code. During 2013 a number of complaints
concerned the truthfulness of statements made
in advertisements for food products including
whether or not the following comments in
advertising were misleading:
•

•

Review of Operations 2013

w
hether use of images of fruit were
misleading in relation to an advertisement
for a slurpee product which contained only
flavouring (0407/13 - 7-Eleven Stores)
a
ccuracy of comparative claims: for example
carbohydrate content of cruskits versus bread

(0429/13 – Campbell’s Australia), nutritional
content of margarine that looks and tastes
like butter but is “better for you” (0321/13 –
Goodman Fielder)
•

c
laims regarding kilojoule reduction
in products being part of a company’s
contribution to fighting obesity (0268/13).

Section 2.1 – Contravenes
community standards
A complaint was considered regarding a range of
Magnum ice creams one of which was flavoured
with and referred to as marc de Champagne
(0126/13 - Unilever). The complaint that this
linked alcohol with advertising to children of
a children’s product was dismissed on the basis
that a depiction of a product named after an
alcoholic beverage is not of itself a depiction
which advertises alcohol to, or encourages
alcohol consumption by children. The Board
also considered that the advertisement was not
directed to children and that a premium ice cream
was not a product targeted to or of principal
appeal to children.

Excess consumption and undermining
balanced diets
Consistent with previous years, in the Board’s
view, while there are rules about HOW particular
foods and beverages are advertised, there is not
a community standard that treat foods cannot
be advertised at all