Which? quits 'marketing in schools' Government advisory team
Sonoo Singh
Marketing Week
February 6, 2008
Which?, the lobby group, has walked out of Government
talks to develop guidelines for marketing in schools,
over concerns that Government strategy is not addressing
the way that junk foods are being promoted in schools.
The initiative falls under Secretary of State Ed Balls'
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF),
which works with the Incorporated Society of British
Advertisers (ISBA) and, previously, Which?, to produce
best-practice principles for schools and their
commercial partners to help develop sponsored resources.
These include teaching packs and materials; sponsored
activities, such as competitions and projects; and
collectors schemes, for example, Cadbury’s Get Active.
But Which? chief policy adviser Sue Davies says: “At the
time of our involvement with the guidelines the
Government had always agreed that they would be reviewed
to see if they were working.
We were particularly concerned that the guidelines were
not addressing the way that foods high in fat, sugar and
salt (HFSS) and brands associated with them were being
promoted in schools. We therefore wanted the guidelines
to be more specific to ensure that this was addressed.
The Cadbury’s Get Active scheme, for example, went ahead
despite the guidelines being in place.”
The Best Practice Guide, first introduced in 2000,
specifically takes account of the Nutritional Standards
for Schools Food Introduced in 2006. Under the
standards, schools are not allowed to provide certain
types of food and drink at any time during school hours
or in vending machines. The guidelines provide a
framework for schools and commercial partners to develop
partnership activities.
Davies adds: “There was not agreement on this from the
others, particularly from ISBA’s point of view, so we
felt we could no longer be signed up to the guidelines.
We asked for them (guidelines) to be reviewed as part of
the broader work that had been initiated within
government on the promotion of foods to children.”