Australia’s fast food industry agreed to a voluntary code in order to govern the way they currently market their products to children. This code will set new nutritional standards for the food that is featured in television advertising, radio, internet sites, computer games and other marketing initiatives which aim at kids ages 14 and under.
Seven of the largest fast food chains (McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC, Hungry Jack’s *, Red Rooster, Oporto and Chicken Treat) agreed to the initiative which also has regulations of how they can interact with schools and the nutritional information disclosed to parents.
The Australian Association of National Advertisers said that the self-regulatory measures will ensure advertisers maintain a high level of social responsibility in marketing to children. An independent third party will act as a monitor and will conduct reviews to ensure all pariticipating corporations comply with the agreements made which takes into effect August 1, 2009.
While the Dietitians Association of Australia welcomes the move and calls it a “good start”, they also mentioned that questions remain over whether the changes will result in different choices being made at the restaurant cash registers. They also suggested that these new guidelines to childredn should also be used for everybody.
Any sort of voluntary initiatives are usually triggered by trends, pressure or the need to innovate. No matter what changes are put into effect in any given global market, you will not be able to please all regulatory associations, which will continue to stay vigilant and watchful. It would be interesting to see some research next year around August 2010, that shows how these initiatives worked.
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