FSA joins criticism of Ofcom on junk food

Further to Russ’s update, new voices are adding to the criticism of Ofcom, weightiest being the Food Standards Agency which discussed the consultation on advertising of junk foods at its Board yesterday, and rather innovatively has webcast the discussion: http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2006/jun/bristol

The FSA is likely to adopt today a draft position which states that:

The Board agreed that the response should: conclude that none of the proposed options provides a sufficient response to concerns about children’s diets and the evidence on the effect of promotional activity on children’s food preferences and behaviour; argue that advertising restrictions should be underpinned by the FSA’s nutrient profiling model; and press for restrictions to apply up to the 9pm watershed in order to provide adequate protection for older children.

The FSA move is the front page lead in today’s Daily Telegraph.

Meanwhile Professor Sonia Livingstone of the LSE, who reviewed the relevant research on advertising to children for the Ofcom consultation, has nudged in the direction of supporting restrictions by arguing in a paper for IPPR that there will ‘never be a perfect test’ of the effects of advertising on children and that the precautionary principle should apply.

Finally, MPs have tabled an Early Day Motion calling on Ofcom to side more with children and to give the 9pm watershed option equal consideration withint he consultation. This is a kind of MPs’ petition and is usually considered significant if it reaches 100 signatures — this one has 61 within three days of tabling.

See http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=30821&SESSION=875