With the French government poised to introduce a scheme making it obligatory for food and drink adverts to carry health messages this month, French trade body, the Association Nationale des Industries Alimentaires (ANIA) has said that expects the majority of its members to adhere to the new regulations.
The scheme, which is part of a national campaign on obesity prevention, applies to all advertising media. Companies who refuse to carry health warnings on their advertising will have to pay a tax the equivalent of 1.5% of their annual advertising budget, the sum collected being donated to France’s National Institute of Health Education and Prevention.
Having cast doubts on the effectiveness of the scheme and lobbied hard and long on the content and size of the messages, ANIA has scored a minor victory in gaining exemption for some products. These include mineral water, tea, coffee, milk, some fruit juices and “natural” products which have been cut into pieces and packaged.
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