Food Marketing to Children on Media
Governmental, Iran
Marketing and Regulation, Desirability, Norms and Preferences, Social Capital
National
Citizens/Consumers
Ongoing
In Iran, soft drinks have been banned in advertisements since 2004. Article 37 in the 5th national development plan (2011-2016), banned the advertising of health-threatening goods and services. The list of goods and services included in this regulation is determined by the Ministry of Health annually. According to the 'Set of Production Criteria for Television and Radio Advertising' (2016) , food products cannot be advertised during children's programs, and the use of children living with obesity or individuals portrayed as overeating or eating a food product greedily in food advertising is banned.
Pediatric obesity has been linked to exposure to marketing of unhealthy food items and easy access to energy-dense foods. Children often have limited ability to control the food environment around them, and living in unhealthy food environments can easily encourage them to consume low-nutritional-value food items. Therefore, they have become a primary target market for the food industry. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) and later, other countries including Iran, implemented regulations aimed at controlling this issue and reducing the impact of unhealthy food environments on children.
In Iran, the Ministry of Health is responsible for overseeing the regulation that prohibits the advertisement of unhealthy food products targeting children on television. The Ministry is tasked with determining and updating the list of health-threatening products on an annual basis. This list serves as the foundation for regulating which food items cannot be marketed to children, ensuring that the policy stays current with emerging health trends and research. Additionally, media regulatory bodies collaborate with the Ministry of Health to ensure compliance with these advertising restrictions.
Based on the review in 2021, a high proportion of the existing food advertisements in Iran, specifically those targeted at children, are promoting unhealthy or nutritionally questionable food products. Undesired Effects and Challenges: -Poor monitoring has been a major issue, leading to several violations of the bylaw. -The policy also struggles with advertisements broadcast on satellite networks beyond the government’s control, making it difficult to fully regulate exposure. -Additionally, the internal bylaw regulating advertising lacks legal enforcement, leading to non-compliance on television.