The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced regulations to manage the advertising and promotion of food that is inappropriate for children’s health.
Beginning next month, commercials advertising unhealthy food are to be prohibited from broadcasting on children’s channels between 5pm to 9pm, and unhealthy meals aimed at children be prohibited from offering free toys, based on the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), that was passed on Nov. 20 and is to be implemented on Jan. 1.
“Snacks, candies, beverages, frozen treats and fast-food” that contain “trans fats, saturated fats, sodium or added sugar” exceeding regulation standards will be targeted by the new regulation, the FDA said.
The regulation stipulates that trans fats should not exceed 30 percent of the total daily calorie intake, saturated fats should not exceed 10 percent the total daily calorie intake, sodium should not exceed 400mg per serving and added sugars should not exceed 10 percent the total daily calorie intake.
FDA official Chih Lan-hui (遲蘭慧) said the targeted food products are to be banned from “airing commercials between 5pm to 9pm on children’s channels” and “show signs of using these food to replace nutritious meals in their advertising.”
Advertising of food products considered unhealthy for children are allowed to be aired in time slots when children are less likely to be watching television or on other channels, such as news channels, less often watched by children alone, she said.
Chih said the regulated food products are no longer allowed to offer free toys, or use toys as rewards for attracting children.
Fast food chain McDonald’s has already changed its menu late last month in response to the regulations, and kids’ meals are now served with fruit or salad and juice or milk, instead of fries and soda, she said.
Violations of the act face a fine between NT$40,000 and NT$4 million, (US$1211 to US$121,193) the FDA said, adding it will ask health departments to supervise companies and increase inspections when the regulation comes into effect.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS