Brazil: Limits on Food Ads Shake Market Forces
The Brazilian federal agency regulating health, Anvisa, recently ruled [pt] that the advertising of soft drinks and food rich in saturated or transfats, sugar and sodium will change. By the end of 2010, the industry will have to adapt.
Particularly one point from the new set of rules generated controversy in the media:
- whether in tv, radio or in print, food advertising should include warnings [pt], similar to those presented in anti-smoking campaigns. Sugar-rich products would show, printed on the packaging, warnings that the product contains too much sugar and increases the risk of obesity and cavities if consumed in large amounts.
The industry's reaction was strong: editorials in newspapers questioned the agency's mandate to change a federal rule that regulates advertising. Many issues are involved, from the rights of governments to interfere in the private lives of citizens, to the cultural traits of people who are used to consume tastier, albeit unhealthy food. Also part of this debate is the role of government to promote nutritional education and, as argues the government, the citizen's need for clearer information about food ingredients and how food affects the human body in order to freely choose what to consume.
Source: Global Voices
- 541 reads
