Marketing and Advertising
- Reading between the Lines: Understanding Food Industry Responses to Concerns about Nutrition
March 2007
Download [344k pdf file]
- Where's the Fruit? Fruit Content of the Most Highly-Advertised Children's Food and Beverages
January 2007
Download [844k pdf file]
- Food Advertising and Marketing to Children and Youth
Kids are repeatedly exposed to unhealthy product ads and logos on vending machines, signage and posters on school campuses every day, according to a new survey released by the Public Health Institute. The first statewide survey to look at the prevalence of marketing on high school campuses found that 60 percent of food and beverage product posters and signage promote foods and beverages high in sugar, sodium and fat, and low in nutrients. The Executive Summary of the survey is attached, along with its companion Policy Brief. The complete report and more information and related resources can be found at:
www.phi.org/news-viewRelease.cfm?pressReleaseID=96
Download: Exec Summ - Food and Beverage Marketing [47k pdf file]
Download: PHI Brief - Food Advertising and Marketing [205k pdf file]
- Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity - Institute of Medicine Report
How marketing influences children and youth is the focus of the IOM report, "Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?" The report provides the most comprehensive review to date of the scientific evidence on the influence of food marketing on diets and diet-related health of children and youth. The study was requested by Congress and sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report finds that current food and beverage marketing practices puts children's long-term health at risk. The report provides recommendations for different segments of society to guide the development of effective marketing and advertising strategies that promote healthier foods, beverages, and meal options to children and youth. The report can be read for free on line or purchased at:
www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=31330
- The Media Family: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Their Parents
Electronic media is a central focus of many very young children's lives, used by parents to help manage busy schedules, keep the peace, and facilitate family routines such as eating, relaxing, and falling asleep, according to a new national study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Many parents also express satisfaction with the educational benefits of TV and how it can teach positive behaviors. This web page includes links to the report, the press release and a webcast of the session where the report was released that included a roundtable discussion featuring media executives and child development experts.
www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia052406pkg.cfm
- FTC, HHS Release Report on Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity
In the second report in six months to criticize the way the food industry markets high-calorie and high-sugar products to children, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which monitors advertising in the U.S., and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended in May 2006 that food companies take a variety of steps to improve the nutritional values of food and also to self -regulate how and what they market to children. The full report is available at:
Download: Perspectives On Marketing Self-Regulation & Childhood Obesity FTC and HHS Report on Joint Workshop [1.8MB pdf file]
- Issue 15: "Obesity Crisis or Soda Scapegoat?
"The Debate Over Selling Soda in Schools" published in January 2005 by the Berkeley Media Studies Group. In 1999 a Venice High School student asked a simple question: can the school sell 100% fruit juice in its vending machines? No said the school -- our soda contract forbids it. The ensuing battle led the Los Angeles School Board to ban the sale of soda on its campuses, just as the Oakland Unified School District had done a year earlier. Issue 15 dissects the debate in news coverage of the soda sales bans and finds that by acknowledging the complexity of the obesity crises, supporters of the soda sales bans may be undermining their own arguments.
Download: Issue 15 [210k pdf file]
- Television Viewing Linked to Unhealthy Eating
Researchers found that kids who spend more time watching television also eat more of the calorie-dense, low-nutrient foods advertised on television. Previous studies had demonstrated that children who watch more television are more likely to be overweight, but this is the first time a research team has found evidence for a mechanism explaining that relationship. The study results appear in the April 2006 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
Download: Ads_for_Unhealthy_Foods_Linked_to_Overweight.pdf [7k pdf file]
Download: Pediatrics TV and Nutrition [103k pdf file]
- Disney Ends Contract with McDonald's
Walt Disney Co. is not renewing their 10-year contract with McDonald's to pack Happy Meals with toys promoting Disney films. One reason, say multiple high-ranking sources within Disney, is that the company - which prides itself on being family friendly - wants to distance itself from fast food and its links to the epidemic of childhood obesity.
Download: Disney Ends McDonald's Promotions [15k pdf file]
- Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood
Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood (formerly Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children) is a national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups and concerned parents who counter the harmful effects of marketing to children through action, advocacy, education, research, and collaboration. Their website is at:
www.commercialfreechildhood.org/
- The Center for Science in the Public Interest
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a strong advocate for nutrition and health. The website provides information on their latest policy activities, most notably their call to the FDA to require health warnings on sodas and their efforts to bring about responsible food marketing to children. See their marketing guidelines at:
Download: Marketing Guidelines [44k pdf file]
- Informed Eating Newsletter
Informed Eating Newsletter is published by the Center for Informed Food Choices and includes updates on policy and legal strategies. CIFC advocates for a diet based on whole, unprocessed, organically grown plant foods. Their work focuses on placing these foods at the center of the plate as crucial to promoting public health and protecting the environment. The November 2005 issue has a complete report on the Food Marketing and the Law conference held at Loyola University. From the website, you can view many of the presentations given at the conference and view the slide presentations.
www.informedeating.org/newsletters/051115.htm
You can also subscribe to receive the monthly newsletter via email:
www.informedeating.org/newsletter.html
- Out of Balance
Published by Consumers Union and the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network in September 2005, this report documents how money spent to advertise foods such as soda, candy, snacks and fast foods, dwarfs the dollars spent to promote the California and Federal "5 A Day" programs to encourage eating vegetables and fruits.
Download: Out of Balance [503k pdf file]
- FTC workshop follow-up.
In July 2005, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services sponsored a workshop to examine various perspectives on marketing, self-regulation, and childhood obesity. The event included a lack of commitment on the part of government to regulate advertising to children. Attached is the web link to the event. Presentations from most of the panelists are posted here as well as a fascinating collection of public comments, including those from food industries, advertisers, marketers and consumer advocates. A video and transcript of the event are also available.
www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/foodmarketingtokids/index.htm
[ back to top... ]
|
