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Johannesburg - Starting next March, just alluding to a product's supposed health benefits could land marketers in hot water. The Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuff Regulations go as far as banning words such as "wholesome" and "nutritious".
The regulations, published at the beginning of March will only come into effect in the same month next year. This will give advertisers some time to adhere to stringent guidelines before making any claims. It will take some fancy footwork when even the word fresh will be scrutinised to determine if the advertiser can substantiate its use.
Association for Communications and Advertising consul Piet Delport believes the new regulations will pose a challenge for creatives; as "many products might undergo rebranding or a major marketing overhaul".
Brands already have a challenging time of communicating any health benefits they may have as health claims cannot be made under existing guidelines. Consumers and competitors are also on the lookout. Kellogg's lodged a complaint against Nestlé with the Advertising Standards Authority. Nestlé claimed its cereals were wholegrain; and contained "proteins, fibre, vitamins, minerals' antioxidants and carbohydrates.".
The ASA directorate initially decided the first statement could remain, but the second be dropped. Following an appeal and substantiation Nestlé could retain the second claim as well. There are other regulatory changes in the pipelines, such as marketing to children, but will be published later.
Last year June the Consumer Goods Council initiated a change in the way children were marketed to. Following international trends, members of the food, beverage, retail and quick service restaurant companies decided that only advertising encouraging healthy dietary habits and physical activity would be targeted to children 12 years and younger. Promotions would be limited, as well as advertising close to schools.
Promoting health credentials may be a major selling point but with increased rules around how to do this, brands find themselves in an increasingly tight spot.
- Fin24.com
