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Berlin (dpa) - Consumer advocates call on the federal government to protect children more strongly from advertising for unhealthy food.
The organization Foodwatch published a report on Wednesday with the title “Junkfluencer”, in which the organization denounced the practice of large corporations to employ young influencers to advertise products with a high sugar and fat content on the Internet.
Foodwatch complains that children are confronted with targeted advertising for so-called “junk food” on social networks without adequate protection.
The Federation of German Consumer Organizations also criticized on Wednesday that children were inadequately protected from such advertising strategies.
The previous “voluntary commitments” offered “numerous loopholes” and the federal government had to regulate child marketing more strictly, according to a statement.
In response, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture referred on Wednesday to appeals to the advertising industry to set stricter rules for this type of marketing.
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“The food industry is doing business at the expense of children's health with overly aggressive marketing methods.
With the help of influencers, the companies send their advertising messages past the parents directly into the children's room and on the cell phones of young people, ”wrote Foodwatch in a statement.
According to the organization's report, corporations, including Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Haribo, are hiring young influencers online to market products such as french fries, burgers and soft drinks specifically aimed at children.
For the research, the organization evaluated thousands of posts, stories and videos from well-known social media stars last year.
Federal Food Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) said on Wednesday that "further restrictions are necessary" to regulate food advertising aimed at children.
On social media platforms, too, the topic must be given a “closer look”.
"Advertising must not induce children to eat unhealthily," said Klöckner.
You have therefore asked the Central Association of the German Advertising Industry to “tighten the rules of conduct”.
Specifically, she insisted on "improvements to the age limit and in advertising for foods with an unfavorable nutritional composition," said Klöckner.
The Ministry of Food points out that food advertising in Germany is regulated by a state treaty between the federal states.
This in turn is supplemented by the rules of conduct that the German Advertising Council is developing.
"The countries have failed to find and enforce a responsible regulation to ensure the protection of children effectively," said the ministry.
The rules of conduct would have to be revised in order to be able to better protect children.
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The German food association pointed out in a statement on Wednesday that there are already rules in Germany to protect children from advertising in the media.
Social media channels are subject to “additional restrictions, including by the platforms themselves”.
On Instagram or TikTok, for example, there is a minimum age of 13, and advertising does not take place “in a legally free space”.
The association criticized the Foodwatch report as "sensational" and "methodologically unbalanced".
A large part of the contributions from influencers are created "often without the involvement of the company," said the association.
"In these cases you can neither prevent nor influence your products - in a good as well as in a bad sense - from being picked up on social media."
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210217-99-483133 / 2
Communication Foodwatch