The Ministry of Health has presented a draft of the “Guidelines Establishing the Requirements and Procedures to be Observed by Advertising Officials, Advertisers, Advertising Agencies, and Media Outlets to Obtain Permission to Advertise Prepackaged Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages on Broadcast and Non-Broadcast Television, Movie Theaters, the Internet, and Other Digital Platforms.”

Purpose: To establish the requirements and procedures to be observed by advertising officials, advertisers, advertising agencies, and media outlets to obtain permission to advertise prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages on broadcast and non-broadcast television, movie theaters, the Internet, and other digital platforms, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 22 Bis, 24 Bis, and 79, Section X of the Regulations of the General Health Law on Advertising, and in compliance with the principle of the best interests of children established in Article 4 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States.
The requirements and procedures established in these Guidelines are mandatory.

Relevant aspects:

• Terms and definitions (Children’s characters, cartoons, celebrities, animations)
• Establishes the permitted media for advertising prepackaged foods and non-alcoholic beverages.
• Prohibits the inclusion of children’s characters, animations, cartoons, celebrities, athletes, or mascots, interactive elements, such as visual-spatial games or digital downloads, aimed at children that incite, promote, or encourage the consumption, purchase, or selection of such products.
• Comparisons with foods and non-alcoholic beverages of natural origin must be included in the upper right corner of the advertising, in a clear, visible, and legible manner, the elements of the front-of-package labeling system for the advertised product(s).
• Establishes the requirements and procedure for evaluation and ruling.