Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Survey Reveals Low Awareness About CSR

A survey administered in Islamabad and Lahore, by the NGO Consumer Watch, shows that 80% of the respondents did not know the meaning of CSR. The survey was conducted on the eve of World Consumer Rights Day, which this year revolved around the theme "Stop the Marketing of Unhealthy Food to Children". In addition to the questions about CSR, the survey asked different questions regarding the harmful effects of junk food and eating habits of children. While the low level of awareness about CSR comes as no surprise, the fact that 75 percent of parents were unaware that junk food contained high level of sugar, salt and oil, certainly did. CWP is advocating for the regulators to make health warnings mandatory on junk food packing as as well as issuing guidelines for food marketing companies. I couldn't agree more. Not only is there a need to have more responsible advertising for food items, especially those targeting children, but there is also a need for greater disclosure on the packaging itself. Question is, are the regulators listening?

No comments: