Unilever tightens restrictions on food marketing targeted at kids

Unilever is extending the limits on how it markets to children across its food and beverage portfolio. The Hellmann’s and Ben & Jerry’s owners will no longer target children under 16 with any marketing or social media communications. It also does not collect or store any data on consumers in that age group.

Unilever is further restricting how it markets food and beverage products to children at a time when scrutiny of data collection practises and the harms of social media is high. Previous efforts to limit campaigns angled at young audiences have been positioned around health concerns and combating problems like childhood obesity. 

Direct messaging to very young children is widely considered unethical and carries potential regulatory penalties, but Unilever is pushing up the age range of who it won’t target to include teens who may wield greater financial independence and discern tastes. The policy change underscores how Unilever is taking an increasingly cautious approach to digital and social media, particularly tactics like influencer marketing that can blur the lines of what is and isn’t an ad. 

This is the company’s first major move in terms of advertising to children since 2020.That year, it stopped marketing food and beverages to children under the age of 12 on traditional media channels and below the age of 13 on social media.

The move by Unilever comes amid a rocky period for the business. Earlier this year, the company was castigated by an investor for focusing too much on purpose marketing and losing sight of fundamentals. Then, Unilever made a failed bid for the consumer health unit of GlaxoSmithKline, further stoking investor ire.