Two More Confectionery Companies Pledge to Not Advertise Candy or Chocolate Directly to Children

Arlington, VA – Brown & Haley and Wolfgang Candy Company are the newest participants in the Children’s Confection Advertising Initiative (CCAI), pledging to not advertise directly to children under age 12. The companies join six other small-to-midsize size candy companies in making a CCAI pledge. The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), in partnership with the National Confectioners Association (NCA), announced this new self-regulatory initiative in March 2016. CCAI is modeled after the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), another self-regulation program administered by CBBB.

“We are so pleased that two additional confection companies have joined CCAI,” said Maureen Enright, director of CCAI. “All CCAI participants are making the same commitment – to not engage in child-directed advertising. By participating in CCAI they are demonstrating their commitment to responsible advertising and to improving the landscape of food advertising to children.”

“Brown & Haley is proud to join with other confection industry leaders and demonstrate our commitment to responsible advertising. This initiative fits with our core belief of creating premium confection that will delight all those you share it with,” said Pierson Clair, Brown & Haley’s CEO.  Brown & Haley, founded in 1912 in Tacoma, Washington, makes confection under the ROCA® & MOUNTAIN® Brands.

“For Wolfgang Candy, participation in the Initiative is an excellent opportunity to help demonstrate and reinforce our practice of not advertising to children,” said Ben McGlaughlin, Wolfgang Candy Company’s CEO. Wolfgang Candy was founded in 1921 in York, Pennsylvania, where it is still headquartered. Wolfgang Candy Company is a manufacturer of its own retail brand labels, including organic chocolates, chocolates of origin, enrobed and molded premium chocolate items and snacks. Wolfgang also partners with retailers to create private label brands and contract manufactures other snacks and confections.

With the addition of Brown & Haley and Wolfgang Candy Company, there are eight makers of popular brands of candies in CCAI. The other participants are Ferrara Candy Company; Ghirardelli Chocolate Company; Jelly Belly Candy Company; Just Born Quality Confections; The Promotion in Motion Companies, Inc.; and R.M. Palmer Company. All have pledged to not engage in confectionery advertising that is primarily directed to children under age 12 or to advertise their candy in school to children from pre-kindergarten through 6th grade.

The CCAI participants join the six confectionery companies in CFBAI – American Licorice Company; Ferrero USA; The Hershey Company; Mars, Incorporated; Mondelez International; and Nestlé – that do not advertise directly  to children. The fourteen candy companies that are members of the two programs make the majority of the candy sold in the U.S.

CCAI’s core principles. 

About the Children’s Confection Advertising Initiative
Better Business Bureau and the National Confectioners Association launched CCAI in 2016 to reduce candy advertising directed to children under age 12. CCAI is based on the Core Principles of the CFBAI and is run by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. CCAI’s participants are Brown & Haley (maker of Almond Roca), Ferrara Candy Company (maker of Trolli and Red Hots); Ghirardelli Chocolate Company (maker of Ghirardelli Squares and Bars); Jelly Belly Candy Company (maker of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans and Sunkist Candies); Just Born Quality Confections (maker of Peeps and MIKE and IKE); The Promotion in Motion Companies, Inc. (maker of Sun-Maid Milk Chocolate Raisins and Sour Jacks Sour Candy); R.M. Palmer Company (maker of Palmer seasonal chocolate candies), and Wolfgang Candy Company (maker of Wolfgang chocolates and cookies).

About BBB
For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2015, people turned to BBB more than 172 million times for BBB Business Reviews on more than 5.3 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as home to its national programs on dispute resolution, advertising review, and industry self-regulation