The news comes close to two months after Health Minister Chua Soi Lek signalled that he would press ahead with a complete ban (Media, 3 May). Fast food advertising targeted at children will, in theory, still be allowed at any time of the day.
In practice, however, new 4As self-regulation guidelines — presented to the Government last month — pledge that fast food firms will refrain from advertising around programmes where children make up more than four per cent of the audience.
Self-regulation would spell the end for celebrity characters in fast food ads — but only if they are used in a way that undermines Ministry of Health guidelines, states a 4As paper.
Ads must be clearly labelled so as not to be misleading and none directed at children under the age of nine.
Datuk Vincent Lee, 4As president, greeted the verdict as “sensible”. Lee has been arguing that, while fast food advertising restrictions exist in countries such as Sweden and the UK, they have not had the desired effect of making its population lose weight.
The debate was sparked after comments attributed to Chua in a local newspaper, which quoted him as saying: “We do not allow advertising for cigarettes and liquor. Fast food should be treated in the same way as alcohol.”
