Legislators yesterday urged the government to restrict the broadcast of junk food commercials on children’s TV channels, as well as at hours when children’s programs are aired on other channels.
A study by the Child Welfare League Foundation showed that children in Taiwan are exposed to an average of 8,325 junk-food commercials a year. On average, each child sees a junk-food ad every 6.6 minutes when watching TV.
The frequency of junk-food ads increases during times when meals are usually eaten — 1.6 the number of times they are aired during other hours.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The foundation’s research and development director Chiu Ching-hui (邱靖惠) said that even adults would be tempted by the ads to buy junk food, let alone young children.
The foundation’s study also found that many fast-food chains encourage parents to purchase their food by giving out free toys with meals.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) said New York has banned the sale of sugary drinks in containers larger than 470ml in restaurants and other venues. Denmark and France, for their part, have taxed saturated fats and soda, respectively. Both the UK and Sweden have banned the broadcast of junk-food ads in hours when children’s programs are aired.
Wang said she would propose similar measures during the current legislative session.
In response, the Food and Drug Administration said it has proposed an amendment to the the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法) which would restrict ads for food that could lead to chronic diseases or are inappropriate for long-term consumption by children.
Wu Hsi-wen (吳希文), a section chief at the administration, added that the amendment would also include articles governing the suspension of broadcasts of such ads and penalties. Advertisers violating the regulations could face a penalty of up to NT$200,000 and would be fined per violation. Advertisers could also be asked to correct the content of the ad if it is deemed a serious violation and they could also be fined up to NT$600,000 if they refuse to stop airing the ads.
Jason Ho (何吉森), director of the National Communications Commission’s communication content department, said that the commission has added regulations pertaining to junk-food ads to its amendment to the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), which is being reviewed by the legislature.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS