Public protests against MFDA’s food advertising regulation

A large crowd of people have gathered in the Carnival area to protest against the regulation on food advertising issued by the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA).

According to the regulation on food advertising issued by MFDA on 20 February 2025, restaurant menus for Ramadan cannot be advertised without permission.

However, due to public criticism after the publication of the food advertising regulation, MFDA has stated that food posts on social media will not be considered as advertisements.

A press release issued by MFDA on 1 March 2025 reads that according to regulations, permission must be sought from the authority for activities conducted to promote the acceptability of food items or ingredients used in food production.

The statement goes on to read that "food advertisements and posts made through virtual platforms or social media by those who prepare food at home or other similar parties for income generation, claiming to have specific food items and services like restaurant menus, do not require permission as advertisements."

However, it has also been stated that if the food items included in such posts are referred to as unmatched or if any phrases or photos comparing them to other food items are used, it is prohibited to use them without permission.

At a time MFDA has issued a statement interpreting the regulation, Article 3(a) of the regulation states that "any party wishing to advertise any type of food product must submit the advertisement to the authority and obtain written permission from the authority before using it as an advertisement."

In addition to this, the regulation states that direct or indirect communication to the general public for commercial purposes, whether for buying and selling food or food ingredients used in food production, is considered food advertising.

According to the regulation, communication refers to any activity aimed at promoting the popularity of a particular type or item through audio, visual, video, or any other medium using print or electronic media, internet, or any other medium.

As no exceptions were highlighted in the regulation regarding food advertising as defined, confusion arose within the public and the regulation has become the target of criticism from many. According to current regulations, food products can only be advertised with the permission of the Food and Drug Authority, and a fee must be paid for each permit. Permission is required to be obtained every time a change is made to an advertisement.

In connection with this, many people gathered in the Carnival area to protest, with participants saying that the regulation made by MFDA would cause significant losses to small and medium-sized businesses and that this was intentionally done to harm businesses.

The protesters said that having a regulation for food advertising is not an issue, but the way it has been implemented is not appropriate. They also expressed concern about having to pay for approval each time, as stated by the participants in the protest.

Further, the protesters stressed that having to pay for approval each time to advertise food is a direct theft from the people.

According to the food advertising regulation it is also prohibited to modify an approved advertisement.

As such, parties violating the authority's regulation will be fined MVR 10,000 for the first offense, MVR 100,000 for the second offense, and MVR 300,000 for the third offense, in addition to a fine of MVR 500,000 for each subsequent violation beyond three times, as stated in the regulation.

In addition to this, according to the regulation, a fee of MVR 1,500 must be paid each time to approve a food advertisement. It further states that a fee of MVR 3,000 must be paid to approve an advertisement for energy drinks or carbonated drinks. Permission must also be obtained each time a change is made to an advertisement.