Candy companies will no longer advertise to children

They’re taking candy from babies.

A group of candy companies will not advertise directly to kids under 12, under an agreement struck by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, in partnership with the National Confectioners Association.

They’re joining six larger candy companies — including Hershey, Mars, and Nestlé — that haven’t aimed their advertising at kids since 2007.

“All of the companies recognize they have to do their part in the battle against childhood obesity, and their commitment in acting responsibly has been to not advertise to children,” said Maureen Enright, director of the BBB’s Children’s Confection Advertising Initiative.

And the battle is real: One in three American children is overweight.

You’d think, though, that telling kids about their products would be the companies’ sweet spot.

But it’s rarely the under-12 group making buying decisions.

Candy companies, which rake in $35 billion a year, are still marketing to teens and adults.

Candies that will no longer be hawked to young kids under the agreement include Red Hots, Ghirardelli chocolate, Jelly Belly jelly beans, Peeps, Mike and Ike, Sunkist and Sun-Maid Milk Chocolate Raisins.

The agreement is voluntary. The BBB has no regulatory powers, but it does monitor advertising and compile reports, Enright said.

So the agreement has some teeth — and those teeth might have fewer cavities.