ASC Releases Report on Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising

Advertising Standards Canada today released the Canadian Children’s Food & Beverage Advertising Initiative: 2024 Compliance Report. The Report confirms the continuing high level of compliance by the companies participating  in the Canadian Children’s Food & Beverage Advertising Initiative in meeting their program commitments from January 1 – December 31, 2024. As Canada’s national, independent advertising industry self-regulatory body, ASC serves as the CAI program administrator.  The Participants reviewed in the Report are: Campbell Company of Canada; Coca-Cola Ltd.; Danone Inc.; Ferrero Canada Ltd.; General Mills Canada Corporation; Hershey Canada Inc.; Kellogg Canada Inc.; Kraft Canada Inc.; Mars Canada Inc.; McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited; Mondelēz Canada; Nestlé Canada Inc.; Parmalat Canada Inc.; PepsiCo Canada ULC; Post Foods Canada Inc.; Unilever Canada Inc. and Weston Bakeries Limited.

“The category-specific uniform nutrition criteria that came into effect at the end of 2024 have resulted in improvements to many foods advertised to children through the reduction of sugar, sodium, and saturated fats,” commented Jani Yates, President & CEO, Advertising Standards Canada. “By meeting the stronger criteria and all other program requirements, the Participants continue to demonstrate their commitment to the CAI and to responsible advertising self-regulation.”

The CAI is a living program that has evolved significantly since its inception in 2024. Most recently, the Participants adopted category-specific uniform nutrition criteria to replace individual company specific nutrition criteria that had previously been used. These stronger nutrition criteria came into effect on December 31, 2024, and the Participants worked diligently during the year to reformulate products to meet the criteria.

The complete 2024 report is available at: adstandards.com/childrensinitiative

The CAI was launched by Canada’s food and beverage industry in April 2024. It was developed to shift the landscape of child-directed advertising in Canada (outside of Quebec) to the promotion of better-for-you products. The CAI complements the existing rigorous Canadian framework for regulating advertising to children. Under the CAI, leading Canadian food and beverage advertisers have committed to either not direct advertising primarily to children under the age of 12, or to shift their advertising to products that are consistent with category-specific uniform nutrition criteria. The program covers food and beverage advertising directed to children across traditional and new media including television, radio, print, Internet, DVDs of G-rated movies, video and computer games, and mobile.