The companies that participated in the Children’s Confection Advertising Initiative (CCAI) achieved excellent compliance with their commitments to not advertise to children under age 12 in 2016. CCAI, the new children’s advertising self-regulation program, launched in March 2016 and is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB),

CCAI is modeled after the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), another CBBB advertising self-regulation program. Assessment of the CCAI participants’ compliance was based on CFBAI’s comprehensive independent monitoring of child-directed media including programming on child-directed TV networks and other child-directed media, including popular third-party child-directed websites, and CCAI participants’ company-owned websites.

“We are gratified that the participants delivered on their commitment,” said Maureen Enright, director of CCAI. “The CCAI participants have made the same strong commitment as the confection companies that participate in CFBAI– to not engage in child-directed advertising. All of these companies have demonstrated their commitment to responsible advertising and to improving the landscape of food advertising to children.”

The  CCAI annual report assesses the compliance of the eight companies that participated in the program in 2016: Brown & Haley, Ferrara Candy Company; Ghirardelli Chocolate Company; Jelly Belly Candy Company; Just Born Quality Confections; The Promotion in Motion Companies, Inc.; R.M. Palmer Company and Wolfgang Candy Company. 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 candy companies that are members of the two programs make the majority of the candy sold in the U.S.