A draft report written by European Parliament Member Maria Irigoyen Perez on “A strategy for strengthening the rights of vulnerable consumers” identifies food and beverage advertising aimed at children as a “particularly problematic sector”. This first draft stipulates that the European Parliament:
“(…) deplores that advertising for food with high fat, salt and sugar content is aimed at children and young people, who increasingly suffer the consequences of sedentariness and obesity; calls on the actors involved to educate and inform minors about the importance of a balanced diet;”
Other themes addressed by Mrs. Perez (the Rapporteur on this report) include the complexity of the financial market, the liberalisation of the supply markets and the access to free alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
While the draft report itself makes no reference to online advertising, M. Perez warns against the “danger of targeted advertising” posed by social networks in an explanatory memorandum which accompanies the draft report:
“(…) advertising uses the digital trail that minors leave in order to send them, without their knowledge, advertising adapted to their consumer tastes or, worse still, for products that their friends ‘like’, taking advantage of the social pressure that the group exerts on minors and to which they are particularly vulnerable”.
She insists that all consumers are susceptible to becoming vulnerable consumers over the course of their lives, since vulnerability can result from endogenous causes (because of the age of the person or a disability) and/or exogenous causes (such as a lack of knowledge of a language, a lack of education or simply when confronted to new technologies which are not familiar).
This is a ‘non-binding’ report meaning it has no direct legislative consequences. However it does reflect ongoing efforts to restrict marketing to children by some Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
Next steps: The draft report will be presented to the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee on 28 February and is expected to be adopted by the EU Parliament as a whole in July 2012.
Detailed timetable:
08/03/12: debate in IMCO Committee
24/04/12: deadline for amendments
30/05/12: adoption in IMCO Committee
July 2012: adoption in Plenary
WFA priorities: WFA will engage with key MEPs to share its vision of responsible marketing communications, particularly concerning vulnerable consumers.