CCC urges collaboration to implement new restrictions on marketing food products for children

By Nuzla Rizkiya

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) yesterday called for a collaborative approach to implement the new restrictions announced by the government this week for marketing food and beverages to children less than 12 years of age.

A section of the new rules which were formulated by the Ministry of Health under the Food (Labelling & Advertising) Regulations of 2022 is set to come into effect in the country from January 1, 2025.

Under the new restrictions, food manufacturers must ensure that children under 12 are not featured in advertisements for food and beverage (F&B) products. 

Additionally, these products are also prohibited from being advertised or promoted to children below 12 years without prior approval from the Ministry of Health.

In a statement to the media, the CCC shared that its Food & Beverage Steering Committee was a key partner in formulating these regulations by providing inputs on food science, nutrition, international regulatory practices and legal frameworks.

While commending the Ministry of Health for modernising Sri Lanka’s food regulatory framework after 20 years, it noted that transitioning entrenched industry practices will be challenging for businesses, from SMEs to large-scale operators. 

However, it stresses it is vital to balance consumer protection with the continued availability of packaged food and preserving long standing brand equity. 

“A corrective and collaborative approach to implementing these regulations will be important to ensure a smooth transition,” the CCC stated.

Moreover, the chamber noted that the consultation process with the Ministry of Health to formulate the regulations had spanned over a decade.

The confectionery industry expressed their skepticism over the new rules, claiming it creates an unfair level playing field for the sector as the restrictions only target local food manufacturers while exempting other industries that can have a direct impact on children’s health.

Speaking to Mirror Business, a senior representative of the confectionery industry, who wished to remain anonymous, opined that adjusting to the new criteria will pose significant practical and financial challenges, especially for small and medium-scale food manufacturing businesses.

The representative pointed to the lack of testing facilities available in Sri Lanka for nutritional labelling and the high costs associated with redesigning labels as some of the immediate challenges brought out by the new rules.
The new regulations replacing the Food (Labelling & Advertising) Regulations of 2005 were announced by the government via a 29-paged gazette on February 14, 2023. 

The enactment of the gazette was initially set to come into effect on January 1, 2024 but was postponed by a year to January 1, 2025 in a move to provide businesses more time to adjust to the new requirements.

However, the government this week further postponed the implementation of the rules until July 1, 2025, allowing additional time for compliance.