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Medical Association addressed on advertising restrictions

by Edward Arambewala

Some of the food advertisements directed at children over the electronic and print media are responsible for the present obesity epidemic spreading among the young, said Michael Pertschuk Health Promotion Programmes Director at Advocacy Institute of the USA in an address on Protecting children from unethical advertising and the need for responsible advertising on consumer products for children. He was addressing a committee of the Sri Lanka Medical Association at the SLMA auditorium in Colombo, last week.

Detailing the difficulties he had encountered in the States in moving a legislature to restrict food advertisements, he said in some areas food manufacturers supported the political parties and the politicians were reluctant in approving the matter. He said the medical professionals can play a prominent role on this issue as they had succeeded in doing away with the smoking advertisement.

He said that it would be possible to get the advertisers to evolve a code of ethics for themselves in food advertising, if medical professionals put pressure on the issue with public participation.

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