Nestlé follows strict standards regarding advertising and marketing to children. We want all kids to have a healthy start in life and don't advertise to children under six. We only market foods and beverages to older children (aged 6-13) that are part of a nutritious and balanced diet. These products must meet the EU Pledge Nutrition Criteria, under our Policy on Marketing Communication to Children (pdf, 5Mb).
Under our policy, we do not market biscuits, sugar, chocolate confectionery, water-based beverage products with added sugars and ice creams to children under 13. We also don't advertise these products in primary and secondary schools. Online, we do not solicit or collect personal data from children below the age of 13.
In November 2022, we announced that we will further strengthen our responsible marketing practices. With our new Marketing Communication to Children policy, we will voluntarily restrict our marketing to kids under the age of 16. The new policy will take effect as of July 1, 2023 and will be applied globally to products sold by Nestlé.
We have regular audits to ensure we follow our Policy. For example, the Marketing to Children Compliance Assessment conducted in India in 2019 (pdf, 5Mb), in Russia in 2020 (pdf, 2Mb) and in Brazil in 2021 (pdf, 1Mb). In addition, in the European Union, the EU pledge and the European Advertising Standard Alliance (EASA) monitor Nestlé compliance to Marketing to Children standards on TV (pdf, 1Mb) and websites/social media (pdf, 2Mb) on a yearly basis.
Do you advertise your products to children on social media?
Our Marketing Communication to Children Policy (pdf, 5Mb) applies to all channels including social media.
How do you encourage kids to eat well and exercise?
Our global program, Nestlé for Healthier Kids, reached 80 million children across more than 80 countries since 2016. Through it we run programs and online services to give parents and caregivers nutritional knowledge, healthy recipes and tips.
For example, in Spain, we launched a colourful 'Nutriplato' plate. This was complemented by a guidebook for parents and a website, promoting a balanced family meal and Mediterranean diet to help improve the eating habits of children aged 4 to 12. In 2020, we also launched Milo Home Ground to keep kids active while at home. This digital platform -available in several countries- features a series of sport training videos and tutorials.
How can you justify using owned or licensed characters like the Nesquik bunny?
We only use owned or licensed characters, celebrity endorsements and premiums primarily appealing to kids aged 6 to under 13 to promote healthy, active lifestyle. We don't use licensed characters primarily appealing to children under 13 for sweet and savory biscuits, sugar or chocolate confectionery, water-based beverages with added sugars and ice creams.