Advertisers say children's ad ban not a quick fix

OTTAWA - The rising incidence of childhood obesity is cause for serious concern, but banning advertising to children is not the quick-fix solution to a complex problem, says the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA). In a presentation to a conference on childhood obesity here this week, Bob Reaume, the ACA’s Vice President of Policy and Research, said the amount of food and beverage advertising on television directed to children has actually been decreasing in recent years even as obesity rates have climbed. Reaume’s comments stood in contrast to those of a panel, comprised of academic and community representatives, who see...