Day 054 - 24 Nov 94 - Page 09

     
     1        edition?
     2        A.  Yes, 1992.  The results were broadly very similar.
     3        Whilst individual products may change from week to week,
     4        the overall picture is very similar.  The amount of
     5        advertising for food and soft drink accounted for nearly
     6        half, 47 per cent, of adverts in this survey.  The
     7        advertisements for cereals and confectionery were still the
     8        largest category.  Foods high in sugars and/or fats made up
     9        approximately 4/5ths of the food advertised on children's
    10        television -- the same figure as two years ago.  Fast-food,
    11        snacks, soft drinks, all featured highly in the promotions.
    12
    13        Again, there were no advertisements for fruit and
    14        vegetables.  The only product that can broadly be
    15        considered as contributing significantly towards a healthy
    16        diet was milk.  In this case McDonald's was the second most
    17        heavily advertised food product.
    18
    19   Q.   I think that is joint second, is it not?
    20
    MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, second equal.
    22        A.  Yes.  Broadly, the overall picture is very similar and
    23        one in which advertisements for foods high in fats and/or
    24        sugar dominate the balance of advertising messages that
    25        children are receiving during this time period.
    26
    27   Q.   Right.  Is that something that you feel is important, do
    28        you think that advertising regulatory bodies should not
    29        just look at the individual ads; they should look at the
    30        overall, the cumulative, effect of advertisements?
    31        A.  Yes, I think if one is looking at the role of
    32        advertising and its effect on children's diets -- and it is
    33        clear that advertisers would not advertise unless it was
    34        effective in encouraging children to consume their products
    35         -- that the concern is that the kind of products that
    36        children are being encouraged to consume is at odds with
    37        the kinds of foods they are being encouraged to consume by
    38        nutrition recommendations.
    39
    40   Q.   Do you feel that the kind of products being advertised show
         the whole range of products that are available or do you
    42        think they only give a limited picture?
    43        A.  Certainly, the range of foods that are advertised do
    44        tend to be limited to what are generally termed "value
    45        added products".
    46
    47   Q.   Can you explain what that means?
    48        A.  They are products in which the manufacturer is able to
    49        add value during the processing of that product and is,
    50        therefore, able to sell it at a higher price than a basic 
    51        food ingredient. 
    52 
    53   Q.   Right.
    54        A.  So, for example, the difference between buying raw
    55        potatoes and the difference between buying a bag of crisps.
    56
    57   Q.   It relates to processed foods then?
    58        A.  Generally, it relates to some degree of processing,
    59        yes.  These are the advertisers who tend to have the money
    60        available to advertise.  But, in so doing, the advertising