The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is warning media houses and advertisers to stop advertising alcoholic beverages before 8pm.
The authority will beginning today, January 8, 2018, serve notice to all stakeholders and start the enforcement of the ban, failure of which will attract severe sanctions.
Public Relations Officers of the FDA, James Lartey, told Kasapa News that the directive takes effect from January 1, 2018, adding that “all advertisements of FDA regulated products that would be approved by the FDA from January 1, 2018, should include the phrase – This advert has been vetted and approved by the FDA.”
The ads are supposed to be aired from 2000 hours to 0600.
This directive, the FDA says is to protect children and prevent them from being lured into alcoholism at their young age.
Alcohol advertisement has become very rampant over the last few years and has flooded the media both radio and television, a development which has become cause for concern for a section of the public.
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in 2015, placed a ban on celebrities from advertising alcoholic beverages is an adherence to a World Health Organization (WHO) policy.
Mr James Lartey said the future of Ghanaian children must not be put at the expense of the media houses making money.
“Children should not be influenced, I understand that most of the radio and TV stations get their sponsored programme from some of the these alcoholic beverage companies. But we should also understand that we shouldn’t also look at the money media station get against the future and health of our populace, this is very important.”
Asked if the age limit advertised on the alcoholic beverages is not enough to stop children from consuming alcohol, Mr Lartey said, “Look at advertisement in general printed advertisement is not that effective like hearing and seeing advertisement, let’s admit that so if it comes to airing of TV and radio advertisement when people are hearing and seeing the effect is very strong, so we can’t compare that to labeling issues. We all know that there are expiry date on product, but we most of the time buy and use them before we may even check their expiry dates. Sight and hearing is very critical in advertising.”
