Vincent Lee, president of the Malaysian 4As, has met with Health Minister Chua Soi Lek and fast food companies to go over legislation which has been introduced in other countries to tackle the obesity problem.
Malaysia is Southeast Asia’s ‘fattest’ country, where 40 per cent of the country’s adult population is considered overweight.
According to reports, Chua proposed banning fast food advertising as a measure to reduce the growing number of Malaysians suffering from diseases of the affluent, such as diabetes. “We do not allow advertising for cigarettes and liquor. Fast food should be treated in the same way as alcohol,” a newspaper quoted Chua as saying.
However, Lee, who has been in regular contact with the Health Minister, said that Chua was misquoted, and that it is most unlikely that fast food advertising will be banned outright. “The Minister is aware that obesity is a complex issue, and is not blaming fast food advertising alone. We will look at issues such as advertising to children, but I’m confident we will move towards self regulation rather than a blanket ban,” said Lee.
He said ways in which other countries have curbed fast food advertising will be examined. In the UK, a ban on advertising fatty or sugary foods around children’s TV was introduced last November. However, Lee noted: “So far, in countries where a ban has been imposed, obesity levels have not fallen.”
Last month, Korea announced it would ban ads for fast food on TV, radio and the internet until after 9pm, starting in 2010. In Australia, there were calls to ban ‘junk food’ advertising in 2005, after research showed that the average Australian child is exposed to 11 ads a day promoting fast food and snacks. The Government rejected the call for a ban, blaming parents rather than advertisers, with statistics showing that one in 10 children under the age of 16 is obese.
Key companies affected by a ban in Malaysia would be KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald’s, with an estimated combined adspend of RM280 million (US$80 million). BBDO handles KFC, Ogilvy handles Pizza Hut, while Leo Burnett is McDonald’s agency.
