(a) the impact of food advertisements being telecast by television channels on unhealthy food preferences and eating behavior among children; and
(b) the steps being taken by the Government to check the telecast of such advertisements on TV channels?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING
[COL RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)]
(a) & (b): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed that Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has constituted an Expert Group to address the issue of High Fat, Sugar and Salt foods (HFSS). The expert Group in its report made a recommendation regarding “Ban on foods with High Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS) advertising on children’s channels or during children shows”. On this recommendation, the remarks of the FSSAI was that the Food businesses could be asked to voluntarily desist from advertising HFSS foods on childrens’ channels. Bodies like Food and Beverage Alliance of India (FBIA) have already decided to voluntarily restrict food and beverage advertisements concerning children. Nine major Food Business Operators (FBOs) have joined this campaign and have decided to not to advertise products with high fat, salt or sugar on childrens’ channels.
The advertisement telecast on private satellite TV channels are regulated as per the Advertising Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 which prescribes that all advertisements telecast on TV channels should be in conformity with the Advertising Code which contains a wide range of parameters to regulate advertisements. Rule 7(5) of the Advertising Code specifically deals with the misleading advertisements which prescribes that no advertisement shall contain references which are likely to lead the public to infer that the product advertised or any of its ingredients has some special or miraculous or super-natural property or quality, which is difficult of being proved.
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