AA cautions lobbyists on food ad war

The Advertising Association has issued a warning that it will increase the heat on health pressure groups campaigning for restrictions on food advertising.

In its annual review the association’s chairman, Winston Fletcher, claims that advertisers have woken up to the threat of further restrictions.

“1994 will be remembered as the year in which food advertisers really began to bite back at their critics – critics who, in the main, offer little logic and even fewer facts, but who are convinced that advertising is to blame for many of the nation’s health problems,” says Fletcher.

But the National Food Alliance, which has been campaigning for tighter restrictions on food advertising, has dismissed Fletcher’s criticisms as “defensive” and “disappointing”.

“The point is the ad industry has failed to come up with positive contributions on the Health of the Nation document,” says NFA project officer Sue Dibb.