New Responsible Advertising Commitment by Confectionery Companies

Arlington, VA –The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), in partnership with the National Confectioners Association (NCA), today announced a new self-regulatory initiative that promotes responsible advertising to children. Under the Children’s Confection Advertising Initiative (CCAI), participating companies agree to not advertise directly to children under age 12. CCAI is modeled after the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), another CBBB-administered self-regulation program.

Six companies that make popular brands of candies are the charter participants of CCAI: 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. They 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. They join six other confectionery companies – American Licorice Company; Ferrero USA; The Hershey Company; Mars, Incorporated; Mondelez International; and Nestlé – that are CFBAI participants that do not advertise directly  to children.

“CCAI follows the same principles as CFBAI, but is designed for small-to-medium size confectionery companies and has fewer administrative requirements than CFBAI,” said Maureen Enright, director of CCAI and deputy director of CFBAI. “All CCAI participants are making the same commitment – to not engage in child-directed advertising. CFBAI will independently monitor compliance and will publish periodic compliance reports, as it does for CFBAI.”

“Better Business Bureau has always felt that smaller companies can be just as much a part of the self-regulatory success story as major corporations,” said Mary E. Power, president and CEO of CBBB. “This latest initiative is yet another example of how responsible companies can join together to efficiently regulate themselves. We are delighted to build on CFBAI’s success, we appreciate NCA’s partnership on this effort, and we look forward to working with them to grow the program.”  

“America’s leading confectionery companies are committed to marketing their products responsibly, and participating in this program further solidifies that commitment,” John H. Downs, Jr, NCA president and CEO, said. “The candy companies that are members of CCAI and CFBAI make the majority of the candy on store shelves 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 Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative and is run by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. CCAI’s charter participants are 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); and R.M. Palmer Company (maker of Palmer seasonal chocolate candies). 

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.

About NCA
The National Confectioners Association is the trade organization representing the $35 billion U.S. confections industry. NCA values the fun and enjoyment of chocolate, candy, gum and mints, and serves as a transparent and trustworthy source of information for building and promoting a responsible industry. As the leading trade association for the industry, NCA is proud of the role it plays in the public’s understanding and appreciation of candy’s unique role in a happy, balanced lifestyle. For more information, visit www.CandyUSA.com.