Bill > A02584

This bill aims to protect children from potentially harmful food and beverage marketing by establishing comprehensive guidelines for evaluating advertisements targeted at young consumers. The legislation amends existing laws in the general business, agriculture and markets, and public health sectors to provide detailed criteria for determining whether food advertisements are false or misleading, with a specific focus on protecting children. Key provisions include creating a multi-factor test for assessing child-directed advertising, which considers elements such as visual content, use of animated characters, music, language, celebrity endorsements, advertisement location, and communication medium. The bill recognizes children as a vulnerable population who may lack the ability to critically analyze marketing messages and seeks to prevent manipulation that could lead to lifelong unhealthy eating habits. Additionally, the legislation requires special consideration of advertisements targeting children and aligns with broader public health goals of reducing obesity and diet-related health complications. The bill also modifies existing nutrition education programs to emphasize balanced diets and promote access to locally grown foods, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to improving children's nutritional awareness and health outcomes. The provisions will take effect 30 days after becoming law, and include a severability clause to ensure that if any part of the legislation is found invalid, the remaining sections can still be implemented.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business and Industry

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A2584