• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, December 17, 2009

The Council of Better Business Bureaus' Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) will expand its "core principles" starting Jan. 1, according to Elaine Kolish, BBB VP and CFBAI director.

Kolish made the announcement during the FTC's forum this week on food marketing and childhood obesity.

The principles will now require that participating food and restaurant companies commit that 100% -- versus the previous minimum standard of 50% -- of their advertising to children under 12 will be for "healthier dietary choices or better-for-you products," according to the nutrition standards defined in their individual pledges.

"While the option of satisfying the commitment through healthy lifestyle messaging or some combination of better-for-you product and healthy lifestyle messaging has been eliminated, the participants will continue to support and promote healthy lifestyles," according to CFBAI's release on the revised principles.

In addition, the venues and types of marketing covered are being expanded to include video and computer games rated "EC" or early childhood; other video games that are age-graded on the label as being primarily child-directed, and cell phone and word-of-mouth advertising that is primarily directed to children under 12.