South Korean Government announces ban of HFSS TV food advertising

On 12 November 2008, the South Korean Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs announced measures to fight childhood obesity, including a ban on TV HFSS food advertising between 5 pm and 9 pm. We understand that the ban will be effective from January 2009.

Advertising of the following products will be banned:

• Snacks containing 200 or more calories, over 3 grams of saturated fat, or over 13 grams of sugar, and with less than 2 grams protein and a nut proportion of 10 percent or less in the total product.
• Meal substitutes such as hamburgers and ramen with over 500 calories or over 3 grams of saturated fat and over 600 mg of sodium.

We understand that the Government announced that in addition to the food advertising restrictions, school cafeterias will be banned from selling HFSS food products from March 2009 onwards.

These measures come following a proposal put forward by the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) in June 2008 on introducing advertising of HFSS food and drink to children

Source: The Advertising Education Forum

For more information please contact Will Gilroy: w.gilroy@wfanet.org.