A year ago in Mexico, a regulation of advertising in high-calorie foods came into force. However, organizations such as the Red por los Derechos de la Infancia en México (REDIM) have systematically denounced the fact that commercial advertisements for junk food continue to appear in hours for children.
According to the organization, the regulations implemented by the government lack rigor and have been influenced by the large food and beverage industry. As proof, the organization El Poder del Consumidor monitored Channels 2, 5, 7, 13 and Cartoon Network, between January and May, covering more than 134 hours.
From their analysis it is concluded that the regulation for advertising is extremely weak for the following reasons:
The regulation is very limited since it only applies to advertising on television and cinema, and allows this advertising to continue to be carried out on the Internet, open spaces, points of sale, etc. Unicef has produced a report in which it shows how the internet has become a means of impact of this type of advertising on children.
2. Unhealthy food and beverages continue to be advertised in regulated «children’s hours» programs and in the cinema because the nutritional criteria to establish which products cannot be eaten are very lax (see annex).
3. According to the IFT study, the most popular programs among boys and girls during «children’s hours» are soap operas. These programs are not regulated and they are where much of the junk food advertising is concentrated, much of it directed especially at children (see annex).
4. The most popular hours for boys and girls on television, according to the IFT report, 8 pm to 10 pm, are not regulated and continue to advertise junk food ads (see annex).
If it sounds like you, you can put pressure on the Cofrepis here so that they really protect children by removing junk advertising in children’s hours.
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