Ads group quits food and drug control agency

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Advertising Agencies Association (PPPI) has resigned from the review team at the Ministry of Health's Food and Drugs Agency (BPOM) after seven years working alongside BPOM to stop unlawful and misleading advertisements on food and drugs.

"Our recommendations (to the head of BPOM) always ended up unheard. We, for instance, had requested on so many occasions that certain ads, such as the controversial ads of Kuku Bima (a traditional herbal medicine), not be passed but BPOM still gave their approval.

"We're really disappointed," Henry Saputra, an executive of PPPI, told reporters on Wednesday.

Members of the BPOM panel consisted of representatives from advertising agencies, executives of PPPI, pharmacologists, representatives from the pharmaceutical and jamu (traditional herbal medicine) industry and psychologists from the University of Indonesia. The team was assigned to issue recommendations to the head of state-controlled BPOM, who later give final approval for the airing of ads.

According to Henry, members of the panel spent many days at BPOM's offices studying proposed storyboards, scripts and layouts to make professional recommendations. But all their work had met deaf ears.

"Sometimes, the ads had already appeared even though we had yet to examine them," he added.

Sutedjo Hadiwasito, who also represented PPPI in the team, added that inconsistencies frequently occurred between the panel's recommendations and the final decision issued by the head of BPOM.

"Members of the team never received a copy of the head's decision," said Sutedjo, who is also head of PPPI's law department.

BPOM head Sampurno could not be reached for comment.

PPPI currently has some 230 advertising agencies operating in this country. Together with the media, the agencies are racing to enjoy a share of this year's predicted advertising expenditure worth Rp 9.72 trillion. About 60 percent of advertising money will go to TV, 29 percent to newspapers, 6 percent to magazines and tabloids, 3 percent to radio and 2 percent to outdoor advertising.

The industry largely faces public complaints regarding the number of obscene, cheap and vulgar ads, mostly on food, drugs, baby food, food supplements, cigarette and beauty products.

Among the latest products placed under the media highlight due to their controversial ads included Irex (a food supplement), GIV soap, Cinta-mi. Four brands of tonic drinks, namely Kratingdaeng, Kratingdaeng S, Galian Bugar and M-150, which have been ordered by BPOM to be withdrawn from the market within two months as from Aug. 16 as tests found that the energy drinks contained up to 80 mg of caffeine per bottle, far higher than the 50 mg per bottle written on the label.

During Wednesday's meeting, the PPPI also showed a number of TV commercials that broke professional laws and PPPI's code of ethics, such as child endorsement, no health warning and harassment. Among them are Pharmaton Junior, Irex, Curcuma Plus, Larutan Penyegar Kaki Tiga, Vegeta, AdemSari and Hemaviton.

PPPI chairman RTS Masli, said that in many cases the public simply blamed misleading ads on the association saying that the poor ads had been thoroughly checked by BPOM's jury team, which included representatives from PPPI who knew the existing laws and code of ethics.

"We're not defending ourselves. And there's no business war or conflict of interests here. We quit from BPOM simply to promote our efforts as a player and a responsible party as well as helping us become more effective for consumers and the public in general.

PPPI is planning to implement its aim to stop all unlawful ads that mislead the public by setting up an independent body, whose members will include non-advertisers, such as NGOs and the media.

"We're still working on it," Masli said. (bsr)