SPAIN TO BAN ADVERTISING OF FOOD, DRINKS HARMFUL TO CHILDREN

Fri 29 October 2021:

Spain will prohibit the promotion of high-sugar foods and beverages that are hazardous to children, according to Alberto Garzon, the Spanish Minister of Consumer Affairs.

“Our children are very vulnerable to advertising and it is our responsibility to protect them. Today we announce, on behalf of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, that we will limit the advertising of foods and drinks that are harmful to their health,” Garzon wrote on Twitter.

In particular, the Spanish government intends to ban the advertising of ice cream, cookies and other sweets for children under 16. The prohibition will also apply to drinks, snacks and sauces produced with the addition of sugar and containing over 225 kcal per 100 grams (3,5 ounces).

The ministry stressed that one in three children in Spain is overweight or obese.

“One of the reasons for such figures is advertising,” the statement said.

According to a film produced by the ministry, 41% of Spanish youngsters aged 6 to 9 are overweight. Mexico and the United States are said to have similar figures. According to the film, advertising restrictions on high-sugar foods and drinks are already in place in the UK, Portugal, and Norway.

On weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., on weekends and holidays, between 9 a.m. and 12 a.m., on children’s channels all the time, and on other channels at hours when “there is a large audience of children under 16,” the Spanish authorities plan to prohibit advertising of such products on all television channels.

Children’s print media, as well as websites, social networks, and applications with a target audience of children and adolescents, will be subject to the ban.

The restrictions will go into force in 2022, according to the ministry.

According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of obesity or being overweight among children and adolescents aged five to 19 has increased drastically from 4.0 percent in 1975 to little over 18 percent now.

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