EFDA and Media Authority Urge Ethical Standards in Food and Health Product Promotion
The Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) and the Ethiopian Media Authority jointly emphasized the need for the media to adhere to legal and ethical standards when promoting food and health products.
On April 8, 2024, in Adama, an awareness training session was conducted for media officials regarding the regulations surrounding the advertisement of food and health ingredients. EFDA Director General Heran Gerba highlighted that the main objective of this training is to ensure that media outlets and advertising professionals are well-informed and compliant with the law in their promotional activities.
Director General Heran pointed out that advertisements targeting children, particularly those related to food, are prevalent across both traditional and social media. She noted that the information in these advertisements is often exaggerated, and some of the ingredients claimed to be present are not actually in the products.
Yonas Fantaye, Head of the Advertising Monitoring Desk at the Ethiopian Mass Media Authority, stressed the importance of this capacity-building training. He stated that it is crucial for media and advertising professionals to comply with legal requirements when promoting regulated health products. He also mentioned that there have been significant improvements over the past two years since the signing of the agreement to enhance compliance.
