Dear Senator Kuehl:

Your Senate Joint Resolution 29 calls on food and beverage companies, and others, to adhere to a voluntary code of practice with respect to food and beverage advertising. On behalf of the Grocery Manufacturers of America, I am writing to draw your attention to recently released GMA Principles of Food and Beverage Product Advertisement (see enclosure).

In addition, I want to make you aware that GMA members have their own sets of internal principles and have supported and will continue to support advertising self-regulatory organizations. GMA members adhere to the sound standards set by such bodies as the National Advertising Division (NAD) and the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Grocery Manufacturers of America is the world’s largest association of food, beverage and consumer product companies. Led by a board of 46 Chief Executive Officers, GMA applies legal, scientific and political expertise from its more than 140 member companies to vital public policy issues affecting its membership. The association also leads efforts to increase productivity, efficiency and growth in the food, beverage and consumer products industry. With U.S. sales of more than $500 billion, GMA members employ more than 2.5 million workers in all 50 states.

GMA supports the principles that NAD and CARU apply, including the principles that advertising be truthful, substantiated and appropriate for the audience to which it is directed. We recognize that children represent an audience that requires special care and sensitivity, and we support CARU’s efforts to see that advertising meets those needs. NAD and CARU date back to the early 1970s, and their principles have evolved ever since. GMA and its members have participated for decades in this self regulatory process.

GMA and its member companies are committed to adhere to principles of responsible consumer communication and have long subjected their advertising to rigorous internal review. Responding to the public interest in transparency of advertising standards, GMA has drawn on the experience of its members and published core principles that we believe should guide the development, execution, placement and monitoring of food and beverage advertisements. GMA has offered the principles as a recommendation to all companies that advertise food and beverage products.

The documents reflect general and specific principles for food and beverage advertising and take into account certain considerations for advertising to children. In short, the principles are intended to help advertising play a role in conveying information to consumers with respect to nutritional benefits, balance, moderation and variety.

GMA believes that public health is the responsibility of all stakeholders. The food and beverage industry is committed to working with interested parties in empowering consumers to choose diets and levels of physical activity which can positively impact their health and well being. Please contact me at (916) 447-9425 or kpower@gmabrands.com if you have questions regarding the GMA Principles of Food and Beverage Product Advertising.

Sincerely,

Respectfully submitted,

Kristin Power
Director, State Affairs
Grocery Manufacturers Association