BPKN and KPAI Condemn Misleading Marketing Practices for Bottled Drinking Water Products
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) and the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) have condemned the marketing practices of bottled drinking water (AMDK) products that feature photos of children under five years old (toddlers), as they are deemed to violate food advertising oversight rules and disregard child protection principles in favour of profit.
BPKN Chairman Mufti Mubarok stated that the use of toddler visuals on general food products is explicitly prohibited under BPOM Regulation No. 6 of 2021, Article 14 letter bb.
“This regulation prohibits advertisements for processed food from featuring children under five years old, unless the product is specifically for toddlers. AMDK is general food, not a baby-specific product,” he said in his statement in Jakarta on Saturday.
The use of baby images, according to him, has the potential to mislead consumers by creating a false perception that the water is formulated specifically for babies, despite lacking any scientific basis.
“If it gives the impression that it is intended for babies without special permission, it contravenes labelling provisions and violates the Consumer Protection Law,” he stated.
In relation to this, Mufti said BPKN is ready to follow up on public reports and recommend sanctions to the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).
In agreement, KPAI Vice Chairman Jasra Putra reminded that children’s involvement in advertisements must not be exploitative.
“The best interests of the child must be the primary consideration, not exploited to disproportionately influence purchasing decisions,” he said.
Meanwhile, communication expert Burhanuddin Abe assessed the AMDK company’s strategy as a form of symbolic exploitation, where the image of a baby is deliberately chosen due to its strong emotional appeal.
“Consumers can pick up on the implicit message that this product has special advantages for children. This is emotional manipulation,” he said.
The drinking water producer’s approach, he continued, can be seen as a tactic to justify any means to boost sales.
The company appears aware of exploiting the emotional gap in Indonesian society, which is highly concerned about baby health, to build a positive perception without scientific foundation.
This manipulative practice, he added, seems to repeat the pattern of sweetened condensed milk (SKM) products that previously used visuals of healthy children until they were banned by BPOM due to high sugar content, and now a similar pattern is occurring in the AMDK industry.