The Federal Trade Commission is expanding its focus on marketing of food products to children, and held a hearing on food marketing practices in mid-December looking at the role of advertising and the media in children’s obesity. The hearing was scheduled to allow the Commission to study the issue in preparation for a report to Congress on marketing to children under the age of 17. The report is due in May.

As part of the December hearing, the Commission staff released a set of draft voluntary guidelines for food marketing to minors. The guidelines involve what hearing participants called “very complex and complicated” nutritional and food classification. The 4A’s and other advertising, marketing and media groups are studying the guidelines and will respond to the Commission’s request for input in the next few months. For more information on the Commission’s action, contact the 4A’s Washington Office.