Education
Burger King Ads for Children Different in Europe
By Burger King Europe GmbH
Feb 22, 2008 - 12:43:46 PM

Burger King Europe GmbH has announced details of how it plans to change its advertising to children in the EU.

As part of its EU Commitment to "Providing and Promoting Healthy Choices to Children and Adults", only products which meet stringent nutrition guidelines will be advertised to children under 12. These guidelines specify criteria for a Kid's Meal (consisting of an entrée, side dish and beverage) including:

- No more than 560 calories per meal

- Less than 30 percent of calories from fat

- Less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat

- No added trans fats

- No more than 10 percent of calories from added sugars

- No more than 1.67 g of salt or 660 mg of sodium

- No added artificial colourings and flavourings

This voluntary commitment is in line with the EU Pledge entitled 'We will change our food advertising to children', which was signed by Burger King and 10 other companies in November 2007.

It is the first in a series of measures Burger King will develop and publish under the "Have it Your Way(R) - Food You Can Trust" brand promise. "This is part of our commitment to helping children eat and live better by promoting balanced diets, active lifestyle choices and making nutrition fun," said Peter Robinson, President, Burger King Europe, Middle East & Africa.

About Burger King Corporation

The BURGER KING(R) system operates more than 11,300 restaurants in all 50 states and in more than 69 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of BURGER KING(R) restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. To learn more about Burger King Corporation, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.bk.com. In October 2007 BKC signed up to the children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative of the Council of Better Business Bureaux, which is consistent with the EU Pledge.

About the EU Pledge - "We will change our food advertising to children"

The EU Pledge is a commitment to change the balance of food and beverage advertising (national TV, print and internet) in the EU to audiences with a minimum of 50% under 12 years old. Signatories have or will also implement company-specific voluntary measures by the end of 2008 - details will be published on the EU Pledge website (http://www.eu-pledge.eu). The current participating companies are Burger King, Coca-Cola, Ferrero, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, and Unilever, and their voluntary commitments have been made as part of their membership the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.

About the Burger King "HAVE IT YOUR WAY(R) - FOOD YOU CAN TRUST" brand promise

Burger King has developed an approach to health and wellness that is based on our HAVE IT YOUR WAY(R) FOOD YOU CAN TRUST brand promise. It is supported by 3 core pillars: Product Innovation, Meal Customisation and Consumer Information. Customers can choose their meal and adapt the individual products they order according to their particular tastes, preferences and lifestyles. Detailed nutrition information is available on the company's website at http://www.bk.com