Will this work? It doesn’t look like a promising start…
Less fat, less sugar, less salt: the message doesn’t get through.
Starting this week, food ads in France must carry cautions telling the French to stop snacking, exercise and eat more fruits and vegetables.
The new rule affects advertisements on TV, radio and billboards and the Internet for processed, sweetened or salted food and drinks. They include: “For your health, eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day” and “For your health, undertake regular physical activity.”
According to the Health Ministry, the warnings will help children “guide themselves” in making eating decisions. That’s the theory.
In practice, things are quite different.
The UFC-Que Choisir consumer group tested the impact of one of the warnings among parents and children of 8 years and older. The message “For your health, avoid eating too much fat, too much sugar, too much salt” was superimposed on a TV commercial for chocolate cereals.
One in two of all surveyed (and nearly six in ten children) hadn’t noticed the message at all. After being pointed out where the message was, one in three parents and four in ten children had difficulty reading it. One third said to be captivated by the ad’s images, another third found the text too small, and one in four didn’t have enough time to read the message.
And it got worse: two out of three concluded from the message that the advertised cereals “were balanced” – the exact opposite of the desired effect.
And what were those cereals? They were the “Lion” brand, which contains 37% sugar…
Maybe next time the government should hire a marketing expert rather than ask its civil servants to come up with slogans.
