Food Marketing to Youth
Food marketing to children and adolescents is a major public health concern. The food industry spends over $1.6 billion per year in the U.S. to market their products directly to young people. The overwhelming majority of these ads are for unhealthy products, high in calories, sugar, fat, and/or sodium.
On television alone the average U.S. child sees 15 food commercials every day, or approximately 5,500 commercials a year. The food products advertised most extensively to children and teens include high-sugar breakfast cereals, fast food, soft drinks, candy, and snack foods. In comparison, children see fewer than 100 ads per year for healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and bottled water.
Companies increasingly market to young people anywhere they spend their time, including in schools, on the Internet, and on mobile phones. They continue to find new and creative ways to reach children, often blurring the line between content and advertising and encouraging children to send marketing messages to their friends through YouTube, Facebook, and other social media. Food company websites targeted to children usually contain numerous advergames and other entertaining content to keep them engaged with advertising as long as possible.
The messages in children's food advertisements encourage children to pester their parents to buy the products, promote snacking between meals, and portray positive outcomes from consuming these high-calorie, low nutrient foods. To children it appears cool, fun, and exciting to eat these unhealthy products anytime, anywhere.
Food marketing has a direct and powerful impact on young people's food preferences and eating behaviors and negatively affects their diet, weight, and health.
Food Marketing in the News
2/5/10 | Just Drinks
PepsiCo Unveils New Gatorade Product Line in Super Bowl
PepsiCo is debuting its new “G Series,” building on the momentum from its “G” campaign last year. Products include Gatorade Prime 01, Gatorade Perform 02, Gatorade Perform 02 (G2), and Gatorade Recover 03. Read more
2/4/10 | Food Politics
The Real Cost of Coke
This blog calculates the cost of the new smaller Coke cans compared to the 12-ounce sizes. The cost is 50-140% more, raising the question of why Coke cares so much about a 1-cent soda tax. Read more
2/3/10 | New York Times
Calorie Counters
Even though two seemingly contradictory studies have come out about the effects of menu labeling, they both point to the labels being more effective is areas with higher incomes and levels of education, and where consumers have a choice of places to eat. This suggests that calorie postings in poor neighborhoods should be supplemented by efforts to get more chains with healthier offerings into those areas. Read more