Food and drinks manufacturers operating in the Netherlands have agreed to “stricter rules” on the marketing of products to children.

Local advertising body Stichting Reclame Code (SRC) said the changes “further strengthen self-regulation” and will take effect on 1 February. Companies have a year to adjust advertising and contracts.

The Reclamecode voor Voedingsmiddelen, or Advertising Code for Food Products, has been in place since 2005. According to Dutch food-industry association FNLI, any company that markets food and drinks in the Netherlands must comply with the code.

The changes to the code mean the advertising of products aimed at children up to the age of 13 will now be prohibited. For children aged 13 to 16, products must meet “strict nutritional criteria”, FNLI said, without providing further details.

SRC and FNLI said in practice the criteria will “mean that advertising for less healthy products, such as cookies, candy, ice cream, sugary desserts, pizza, and sugar-sweetened soft drinks, is no longer permitted for this age group”.

In a statement, FNLI director Cees-Jan Adema added: “Advertising less healthy products requires extra care when it concerns children and young people.

“We are proud that, with this tightening of regulations, we, as the food industry, are taking the lead and demonstrating our responsibility. In this way, the Netherlands is leading the way in the European Union.”

Just Drinks has approached FNLI for further comment.

Across the North Sea in the UK yesterday, the UK government published plans to change the country’s nutrient profiling model, which classifies the health credentials of food and drinks sold in the country.

The nutrient profiling model (NPM), launched more than 20 years ago, underpins which food and drinks are classed as high in saturated fat, sugar or salt, or HFSS.

Ofcom, the UK’s broadcast regulator, uses the NPM to enforce rules that curb the advertising of HFSS products.

The UK government is to consult on how the changes will apply to the new rules on advertising and supermarket promotions that came into effect in the UK at the start of the year.

UK industry body The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) expressed its unease about the potential impact of the changes. Overall, the changes could see thousands more products categorised as HFSS.