Mars maker to stop targeting under-12s

IRISH healthy eating campaigners yesterday welcomed a decision by the makers of Mars bars to abandon advertising aimed at young children.

Masterfoods, which also makes Snickers, Twix and Bounty bars, is to stop advertising to under-12s by the end of the year.

The ban means TV, poster and internet advertising will only be aimed at older children and adults in future.

Yesterday the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) welcomed the move, saying young children were too easily swayed by slick marketing tricks.

INDI dietician Margot Brennan said: “As children get older they are able to interpret marketing for what it is but under-eights have no understanding of what it is all about. It is great that the food industry is acknowledging the problem even though they spent years saying their advertising had no effect on young children.”

She welcomed the move to include ‘new media’ advertising in the ban as youngsters were particularly receptive to marketing messages they read online or via text message.

Her comments were echoed by primary schools teachers’ union INTO, which called on similar bans from other food makers.

“The initiative of Masterfoods to cease marketing products at primary school children is a step in the right direction,” said a spokesman.

The move by Masterfoods comes amid increasing Government and European Union (EU) action to promote healthy lifestyles and to tackle Europe’s expanding waistline.

In January new labelling guidelines were brought in across the EU so food labelled as low in fat, sugar or salt has to be healthy overall.

Nutrition experts were concerned that shoppers were buying foods marked ‘low in fat’ and believing the products to be healthy even though they could be high in sugar or salt.

The Financial Times yesterday reported that rival sweet maker, Nestle, did not have an age limit on advertising but did not encourage ‘over-eating’ in children.

PepsiCo, which sells Walkers crisps, other snacks as well as soft drinks, also does not have an age limit.

Kraft claims it does not target children under six and only promotes healthier options, such as fruit juices, to youngsters between six and 11.