Chocolate major Cadbury has joined the group of companies which had last year pledged not to advertise their food and beverage products to children below 12 years.
Last July, seven companies — Hindustan Unilever, Nestle, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Mars, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo — had pledged to promote healthy dietary habits among children. While Cadbury had expressed its intent to join the group then, it has done so formally now.
Cadbury’s inclusion is in line with its parent company, Kraft Foods’ policy of responsible advertising and marketing for children. The US-based food and beverage manufacturer has been a votary of the cause. The firm was one of the first companies in Europe to become a signatory to the European Union pledge, which asks food & beverage companies in the region to desist from advertising their products to children below 12 years.
The India Pledge is said to be part of the EU initiative.
The no-advertising clause, part of the India pledge, means advertising to audiences with a minimum of 50 per cent of children under 12 years is not allowed. Cadbury, for instance, does not advertise to children below six years, and for those below 12 years, it attempts to reach them via general entertainment or infotainment channels.
“Since our guidelines and guidelines of the pledge say we cannot advertise on a kids’ channel as it constitutes a minimum of 50 per cent of children under 12 years as audience, we are not doing so,” said a Cadbury executive.
Besides the no-advertising clause, the India pledge also urges companies to desist from commercial communication related to food and beverage products in primary schools, except for those products that fulfil specific nutrition criteria or have been requested by or agreed to by the school administrator.
Member-companies are currently in the process of appointing a monitoring agency that will keep an eye on the advertising commitment made by them on print, TV, radio and internet, an India pledge spokesperson said. He added that an India pledge website had also been launched.
