Advertising Standards Bureau - Review of Operations 2013 | Page 100

AFGC - QSR Initiative for Responsible
Advertising and Marketing to Children
1. Statement of intent

2. Scope

Popular Personalities and Characters

Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC)
Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Forum has
developed this Initiative to demonstrate its
commitment to responsible advertising and
marketing of food and/or beverages to Children.

This Initiative captures Advertising and
Marketing Communications to Children where:

3.2. Popular Personalities, Program Characters
or Licensed Characters must not be used in

The Initiative provides a common framework
for QSR companies to ensure that only food
and beverages that represent healthier choices
are promoted directly to Children and to ensure
parents and guardians can make informed product
choices for their Children. This Initiative will
provide confidence in the responsible marketing
practices via clear expectations of the form,
spirit and context, and a transparent process for
monitoring and review of practices.
This Initiative has been developed in collaboration
with the AANA as part of the system of
advertising and marketing self-regulation in
Australia. Signatories to this Initiative must also
abide by:
•

The AANA Code for Advertising and
Marketing Communications to Children

•

The AANA Food and Beverages Advertising
and Marketing Communications Code

•

The AANA Code of Ethics

This document outlines the minimum
commitments required by Signatories. Signatories
may choose to adopt additional commitments.

•

The communication is directed primarily to
Children (regardless of its placement); and/or

•

The Medium is directed primarily to
Children (in relation to television this
includes all C and P programs and G rated
programs that are directed primarily to
Children); and/or

•

The Medium attracts an audience share of
greater than 50% of Children.

This Initiative is underpinned by the definitions of
Advertising and Marketing Communications to
Children and Medium set out in Article 6.

3. Core principles
Advertising and Marketing Messaging
3.1. Advertising and Marketing Communications
to Children for food and/or beverages must:

(a) Represent healthier choices, as
determined by a defined set of Nutrition
Criteria for assessing Children’s meals
(see Appendix 1); and
(b) Represent a healthy lifestyle, designed to
appeal to the intended audience through
messaging that encourages:
i. Good dietary habits, consistent with
established scientific or government
criteria; and
ii. Physical activity.

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Advertising or Marketing Communications to
Children for food and/or beverages products,
unless such Advertising or Marketing
Communications complies with the messaging
options set out in Article 3.1.
3.3. Material broadcast on free to air television
in C and P periods must also comply with the
Children’s Television Standards section 35.

Product Placement
3.4. Signatories must not pay for the placement
of, or actively seek to place, food and/or beverages
products in the program or editorial content of
any Medium directed primarily to Children unless
such food and/or beverage products are consistent
with Article 3.1.

Use of Products in Interactive Games
3.5. Signatories must ensure that any interactive
game directed primarily to Children which
incorporates the Signatory’s food and/or beverage
products is consistent with Article 3.1.

Advertising in Schools
3.6. Signatories must not engage in any productrelated communications in Australian schools,
except where specifically requested by, or
agreed with, the school administration for
educational or informational purposes, or
related to healthy lifestyle activities under the
supervision of the school administration or
appropriate adults.

Advertising Standards Bureau