About the Code for the Restriction of Food and Beverage Product Advertising to Children

(Previously named the Code for the Responsible Advertising of Food and Beverage Products to Children)

The Code for the Restriction of Food and Beverage Product Advertising to Children (the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Code) sets rules for all advertisers of food and beverage products. It starts with a clear prohibition: unless a food or beverage product meets specified nutrition criteria, advertising may not be primarily directed to children.

For food and beverage products that do meet the specified nutrition criteria, the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Code outlines a responsible approach to communicating with child audiences.

A companion document—the Guide for the Restriction of Food and Beverage Product Advertising to Children—helps advertisers understand the Code’s intended scope and application, and informs Ad Standards in its interpretation of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Code.

The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Code and its companion Guide were developed collaboratively by the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), the Canadian Beverage Association (CBA), Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP) and Restaurants Canada.

Ad Standards began administration of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Code on June 28, 2023. The inaugural Annual Report on the program was released in early 2025 to publicly share the status of the initiative. In early 2026, the Code and Guide were updated in order to emphasize the mandatory nature of the Code for the industry.

The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Code recognizes that children are a vulnerable audience, and that advertisers must take care when conveying messages about food, food choices and consumption.

Under this national standard, only food that meet specified nutrition criteria may be advertised in a manner that is primarily directed to children under 13.

In determining whether an advertisement is primarily directed to children, Ad Standards considers three criteria:

(a) the nature of the food or beverage product advertised;

(b) the manner of presenting the advertisement; and

These criteria will be familiar to advertisers who already follow the prohibition against advertising to children established under Quebec’s consumer protection legislation.

Ad Standards administers the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Code in two ways: proactively, by offering preclearance services, and responsively through complaint handling and compliance reporting. For more information on Ad Standards’ role, visit Administration of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Code.