I have been writing about the junk food advertising to children debate for almost a decade, and I can't quite believe Ofcom's long-awaited report on the matter published today has set out not one, not two, but four proposals, the last of which proposes that interested parties come up with their own proposal.
In 2004 the department of health asked Ofcom to consult on bringing in more stringent rules surrounding food and drink adverts aimed at children because of an alarming rise in childhood obesity.
In 1997, 9.6% of children under 10 were obese but by 2003, the figure had risen to 13.7%. And the cost of obesity to the NHS is about pounds 1bn a year according to a recent report by the National Audit Office, Audit Commission and Healthcare Commission.
But will the proposals set out by Ofcom today help protect children? The National Consumer Council's food expert Sue Dibb said: "Peak viewing time for children and young people is between 6 and 9pm. Anything less than full restrictions on all TV ads and promotions for high fat, salt and sugar foods before the 9pm watershed will be extremely disappointing."
Food and farming alliance Sustain echoed the NCC's calls for a ban on junk food adverts before 9pm. Spokesman Richard Watts said children tended to watch soaps and other TV shows before the watershed: "Unless kids are protected from junk food adverts during programmes like X Factor, The Bill or I'm a Celebrity...new rules will be meaningless," said Mr Watts.
But among the proposals published by Ofcom today the latest time set by the regulator for any restrictions to on both weekdays and weekends is 8pm, and even then 60 seconds an hour between 6pm and 8pm on weekdays, and between 1pm and 8pm at weekends - would be allowed. Ofcom argues that chidlren's TV viewing drops off significantly after 8pm.
Advertisers meanwhile argue that they have made huge efforts to make commercials more responsible while broadcasters say further restrictions are impractical and will have a knock-on effect on programme-making budgets.
The last of the four options set out by Ofcom today is "an open invitation to all parties to put forward an alternative common position" that may draw from, or combine, some or all of the measures in the three options or be an entirely new proposal.
Ofcom will "only consider proposals which both command broad support across broadcasters, advertisers, retailers and manufacturers and which also demonstrate a realistic prospect of contributing positively and significantly to the social policy aim of altering children's preferences towards - and actual consumption of - HFSS products," it said.
But what are the chances of these parties putting aside their vested interests, and projected revenues, to magic up a mutually acceptable proposal within the next 10 weeks when they have been at eachother's backs for ten years? Has Ofcom wasted its chance to sort this issue out once and for all?
