The Union Women and Child Development Ministry has suggested that junk food ads should not be aired during children’s programmes, The Indian Express has learnt.
The idea was brought up at a recent meeting where draft guidelines on “misleading advertisements” were discussed. The meeting, chaired by Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, was attended by officials from several ministries including Home Affairs, Health, Information Broadcasting and Consumer Affairs.
During the meeting, held February 17, a WCD Ministry official suggested that advertisements promoting junk foods should not be permitted during children’s programs, it is learnt.
The official also observed that ads should not “promote” carbonated beverages which show celebrities performing “dangerous stunts.” The WCD ministry official also suggested that advertisements should not endorse health supplements like DHA omega 3 fatty acid which claims to support brain development, it is learnt.
The official observed that the ads should not promote those “unhealthy” junk foods which leads to “obesity” in children. He cited figures from National Family Health Surveys to show the rising obesity in children in the country.
Officials at the meeting discussed the draft of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Necessary Due Diligence for Endorsement of Advertisements) Guidelines, 2021, which have provisions on “advertisements targeted at children”.
The Indian Express has learnt that after inter-ministerial consultations, the Consumer Affairs Department is expected to release these guidelines, being prepared under the Consumer Protection Act of 2019, by end of this month.
First draft of these guidelines was released by the Department of Consumer Affairs in 2020 and did not have specific provisions related to junk food advertisements. In this draft, the government had intended to prohibit “behaviour” in ads that could be dangerous for children or affect their mental health, among several other steps.