The recent regulation change to require advertisement on food and beverages does not include advertisements on social media platforms, the Ministry of Health has said.
The Ministry tightened the regulation on food and beverages in the country on 20 February, which mandates food or beverage advertisements to be officially approved through its online ‘Dhirithi’ portal.
Following some public concerns over the regulation, the Ministry in a statement explained that restaurants, cafes and home-based food sellers are free to advertise products and dishes on their menu on social media platforms without approval.
However, vendors would need to obtain approval if they want to use a caption or description to elevate the product or item to a rival product, the Ministry said.
The Ministry has classified any action or attempt to promote or increase popularity for a particular product as advertisements.
Reference to or use of a report issued by a food advertising and food analysis laboratory or a certificate of analysis issued by a referral laboratory or any such document will be subject to penalties, the statement warned.
First offence: USD649
Second offence: USD6,485
Third offence: USD19,455
Permit for advertisements is issued with a three-year validity. However, any change to the content of the advertisement would be deemed as a new advertisement and would require a fresh permit, the Ministry added.
The Ministry will charge a non-refundable fee for each submission. Each video or audio advertisement carries a fee of USD97, USD65 for advertisements without video or audio and USD195 for carbonated drinks or energy drinks advertisements.