Bad
products to be named and shamed
The Sydney Morning Herald
October 29, 2007
Irresponsible companies should be afraid, very
afraid.
The collective might of the world's consumer rights
community has gathered in Sydney for a four-day congress
set to savage companies it deems irresponsible.
The Consumers International World Congress, meeting with
the official theme of Holding Corporations to Account,
will on Tuesday name and shame the world's abusers of
consumer trust with its Bad Products Awards.
"The 'awards' will be given to leading brand companies
guilty of high profile examples of irresponsible
behaviour," a congress statement says.
Australia's consumer organisation Choice has united with
sister groups from more than 150 countries at the
congress at Sydney's Luna Park, behind the fun park's
grinning entrance.
Hoping to wipe the smiles off food marketers' faces,
Choice senior policy officer Clare Hughes kick-started
the congress by asking children to pack their ideal
lunch box from a selection of fresh and packaged
processed products.
"Some of the children were able to choose healthier
foods but there were others choosing unhealthy foods who
were influenced by the packaging, the colours and the
characters used to promote them," Ms Hughes told
reporters.
"In Australia, Choice wants effective restrictions on
all forms of food marketing to children, focusing on
unhealthy foods that are high in fat, salt or sugar.
"We need to put an end to TV ads and pester power
promotions like the recent Shrek campaign that push
unhealthy cereals and snacks to children."
The United Kingdom's Choice equivalent, Which?, is
trying to make further progress after a ban on junk food
television advertising during children's programs was
introduced in April.
Which? senior policy officer Sue Davies, in Sydney for
the congress, says the UK ad ban applies to programs
with a majority child audience, based on viewer surveys.
"It's great in principle but it's not actually working
because it doesn't catch evening programs that children
watch as well as adults," Ms Davies said.
"We want a blanket ban on junk food television
advertising until 9pm."
Ms Davies said the Sydney congress would be advancing an
international code of children's food marketing aimed at
becoming law in every country.
Legislation, rather than self-regulation, is also the
aim of anti-soft drink campaigner Bruce Silverglade,
from the US Centre for Science in the Public Interest.
He is spearheading the Global Dump Soda Campaign, and is
in Sydney for the congress.
Mr Silverglade said Coca-Cola and PepsiCo had "flooded
the global market with liquid candy" which was feeding
childhood obesity worldwide.
The Global Dump Soda Campaign has joined the congress in
calling for a total ban on advertising soft drinks to
children aged under 16.