To curb misleading advertisements, fresh guidelines have been notified by the Centre that says advertisements for junk foods, including chips, carbonated beverages, and such types of snacks and drinks will not be advertised on a programme that is meant for children or is specifically made for children.
On Thursday, the guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, have come into effect and had been notified by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
The guidelines state “An advertisement of any goods, product or service that addresses or targets children shall not – (a) be such as to develop negative body image in children; (b) give any impression that such goods, products or services are better than the natural or traditional food that children may be consuming.”
“Under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, “misleading advertisement falsely describes a product or service; or gives a false guarantee to, or is likely to mislead the consumers as to the nature, substance, quantity or quality of a product pr service, or conveys an express or implied representation, which, if made by the manufacturer or seller or service provider thereof, would constitute an unfair trade practice; or deliberately conceals important information.”
