Lindt & Sprüngli, one of Switzerland’s largest chocolate makers, has announced that it will no longer advertise its chocolate to children under the age of 16. The firm made the decision as part of a number of changes aimed at getting consumers to enjoy chocolate responsibly. 

Lindt & Sprüngli to avoid direct advertising of chocolate products to children

The company has committed to stop directly advertising to all children under the age of 16, and will no longer place adverts on children's TV and radio shows, or in kids’ newspapers or magazines. “We pride ourselves on producing high-quality chocolate, but our vision is not only to produce the finest items, but also to match our high-quality standards with equally high ethical standards in every aspect of our business”, the company writes in its handbook.

“We are committed to avoiding direct advertising of our products to children, when it is more likely that they will be exposed to commercial communications without the presence of guarantors”, the firm added.

It’s not just children that the company is looking to educate on consuming chocolate in a healthy way. The firm is also looking to offer more information about proper portion sizes and nutritional guidelines to its broader consumer base. 

Obesity on the rise in Switzerland

The company’s decision comes amidst concerns from doctors and healthcare professionals in Switzerland, who are sounding the alarm over obesity in the country. According to statistics from the Swiss government, 12 percent of Swiss men and 10 percent of Swiss women are currently classed as “obese”, with figures from the World Health Organisation predicting these numbers to rise to 16 percent for both sexes by 2030. 

Many medical professionals have been calling on the government and scientific community to recognise obesity as a disease in order to place a greater emphasis on tackling it. Data collected in 2018 by Promotion Health Switzerland found that one in six Swiss children are overweight or obese, with more overweight children being of secondary school age than those attending primary school. 

The issues of obesity and child obesity are not faced by Switzerland alone. Across the globe, governments have been scrambling to place restrictions on the way that international companies such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola market unhealthy food to children.

Lindt & Sprüngli now want to use clearer packaging to stop this: “We believe that transparency of product information and labelling is essential: For this reason, we are committed to displaying clear and easily understandable nutritional information and calorie guidelines on the packaging. We continually try to simplify ingredient lists and reduce artificial additives", the firm told Tio.ch.

Image: Shutterstock.com / Ekaterina_Minaeva