Objectives: To examine the strategies used in food advertising campaigns on Spanish
television and their breach of the Self-Regulation Code on Food Advertising aimed at
Preventing Obesity and Promoting Healthy Habits in Children, as such breach advocates
the consumption of products that fail to meet the nutritional requirements.
Study design: Observational descriptive study.
Methods: Viewing and content analysis of 52 food commercials on the children's television
channels ‘Disney Channel’ and ‘Boing’ on Saturday and Sunday (9:00e12:00) and general
channels ‘Telecinco’ and ‘Antena 3’ on Monday to Friday (8:00e9:00 and 17:00e20:00), from
March to May 2013; subsequent analysis of the nutrition labelling of the advertised
products.
Results: There are different ways of bypassing the advertising agreement. Strategies are
used which hide or distort the facts about the product in favour of the advertiser. 18 advertisements
refer to website or Facebook pages, thus facilitating feedback, and 11 advertisements
refer to the Plan for Promoting Healthy Lifestyles in the Spanish Population.
With regard to nutritional quality, the composition of the products analysed is high in
sugars and saturated fats with average levels of fat and salt. A comparison of the broadcast
time of the commercials shows that the figures for fat and saturated fat are similar in food
advertised in the morning and in the afternoon, but products that are high in sugar and salt
are advertised more in the morning. If the overall figures are compared, they are higher in
foods advertised in the morning.
Discussion: The Self-Regulation Code is insufficient. There is an obvious risk of trivialising
the messages of the health promotion plan.
The regulation of advertising is complex and if the nutritional composition of the foods
advertised is likely to lead to child obesity, it is essential to reflect on the consequences
deriving from the advertising of these products.