New Code for Food Ads for Kids - Article Review

The article “New code for food ads for kids” outlines the issue of food advertisements aimed at children. The Advertising Standards Authorities (ASA) released a new childrens code for advertising food as a result of a year long review of the existing code.

The purpose of this code is to require advertisers to take special care with food advertisements that would appeal to children. This code is not legally binding but most agencies and companies will abide by it.

Two guidelines are present in the code which involves the ideas that the serving sizes advertised are to be appropriate for children and that food is not to be falsely advertised in terms of fat and sugar content.

Question Two

Society has an expectation that the government looks after the best interests of its citizens. This is why the government is interviening. Creating a code for advertisers to take special care with child food advertisements is in the best interest of one of New Zealand’s most vulnerable age groups, children. The government also has an incentive to interviene for the benefit of society and that is because society is the support they need during elections. (Crane & Matten, 2010)

Ethically the goverment will interviene in this situation because it is the right thing to do. Because children are not able to “critically assess information and weigh up the future consequences of their decisions” (Gorton, 2011, para 2), intervention from the government will ensure that children are not presented with unhealthy food which could adversly influence their preferences and consumption.

The government will also interviene because of its relationship with society. Society wants its children to be safe from unethical food advertisements. Society vote in the government through elections so the government will interviene in this situation as a way to have a good relationship with society.