Responsible advertising
General Mills is committed to Nourishing LivesTM – and to helping improve the nutrition and fitness behaviors of families and children.
General Mills can play a positive role:
- By providing lower calorie, higher nutrient or more nutrient-dense products.
- By providing “Nutrition Highlights” on all Big G cereal boxes to help consumers quickly identify healthy dietary choices.
- With a portfolio uniquely aligned with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2005 Food Guidelines – providing whole grain, low-fat dairy, fruits and vegetables.
- By leading on issues of health and wellness.
General Mills’ advertising and marketing will reflect:
| Balance | Encouraging families and children to understand and follow nutritional guidelines for a balanced diet of healthy and nutritious foods. |
| Moderation | Encouraging only sensible portions of food – never depicting or encouraging over-consumption. |
| Exercise | Advocating and reinforcing the importance of higher levels of physical activity. |
Family-friendly
General Mills is proud of its reputation as a “family-friendly” advertiser. We will not produce advertising that would undermine the role of parents and family, or respect for community authorities. General Mills will air advertising only on programming it deems suitable for the family-oriented nature of its brands and products.
Special care also is taken to ensure that all marketing messages are inclusive and respectful of ethnic and religious affiliations.
Responsible marketing
Strong marketing guidelines ensure that we advertise and market responsibly.
Guidelines for responsibly advertising food to children
- No General Mills product may be advertised on any program targeted to preschool children.
- General Mills brands marketed to children under 12 years of age must meet General Mills’ Guidelines for Healthy Dietary Choices and the sugar guideline.
Guidelines for Healthy Dietary Choice Standard: A and B or C
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A) Contains 175 calories or less per labeled serving. AND B) Meets the FDA definition of “healthy” per labeled serving. |
OR |
A) Contains 175 calories or less per labeled serving. AND C) Supplies per labeled serving at least one-half serving of a food group targeted for increased consumption (i.e., whole grain, fruit, vegetables, or fat-free or low-fat dairy) and has:
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Sugar guideline
In addition to meeting the Guidelines for Healthy Dietary Choice Standard, only those products that have 12 grams or less of sugar per serving, other than sugar from fruit, vegetables and dairy, will be marketed to children under 12.
Child marketing limitations
Products not meeting these guidelines will not be marketed or advertised to children under 12. Specifically:
- No advertising on programming targeted to children.
- No promotion marketing targeted to children, including sweepstakes, contests, premiums, movie tie-ins, etc.
- No marketing using Internet communications or activities targeted to children, including Web sites, blogs, games, etc.
- No marketing via third party licensed characters in advertising or on Web sites targeted to children.
Additional guidelines
- General Mills does not allow product advertising or marketing to children in K-12 schools or school settings.
- General Mills does not pay for or actively seek product placement into programs or media targeting children under 12.
- Advertising on children’s programming must meet or exceed the guidelines of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Better Business Bureau.
- Advertising on children’s programming must be prescreened with CARU staff for proper messaging and content.
- Children must be depicted as active and energetic, engaging in physical activity in support of General Mills’ “Balance, Moderation, Exercise” message. Foods represented must reflect sensible portions and serving sizes – never depicting over-consumption.
- General Mills Web sites targeted to children MUST include a 30-minute “activity break” that encourages children after 30 minutes to engage in another “more active” activity.
- General Mills Web sites also must follow all relevant Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) guidelines regarding personally identifiable information and privacy.
- General Mills will comply with the laws and regulations of each country in which it operates, and may adapt its guidelines to specific market requirements.
Child Marketing Review CouncilAn internal Child Marketing Review Council considers and reviews all planned marketing to ensure compliance with the company’s child marketing guidelines. The Council activities include:
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