U.S. food companies spend billions of dollars (estimated between $10-$15 billion) annually advertising its products to children. Cartoon characters, free giveaways, interactive websites, movie tie-ins, and other methods are used to draw children in and condition them to want a particular product and become loyal to the brand in question. Oftentimes, the actual food is barely shown.
The importance placed on children is not to be understated. Not only do they impact their caregiver's purchasing habits with unfair manipulation like kicking and screaming, they will also one day be buying for themselves and their own children. It is a potent strategy that gets kids to want to buy now and come back for more. Hopefully, for decades, if the food companies get their way. Research suggests that kids under 18 see up to 20 commercials a day for food. This can equate to over 7,000 over an entire year and over 100,000 over 15 years. How do you counteract this kind of enormous influence?
While food shopping recently, I decided to take a moment and look at some of the marketing geared toward children. It's not hard to miss that almost every packaged item, geared to any age, are plastered with marketing claims and labels. These are always on the front of the package while the nutrition facts and ingredients are hidden somewhere more discreet, like the back or bottom and needing a magnifying glass to read.
Furthermore, with respect to marketing to children, the size of the cartoon character or "brand ambassador") often takes up the entire front portion of the package, dwarfing any pictures of the actual food product. Let's also not forget all of the tomfoolery that goes into creating the food pictures. Did you ever notice that your bowl of cereal never looks as good as the one on the box? It's because they don't use milk, but glue.
While the average person is easily influenced by advertising, at least subconsciously, children are even more susceptible. These marketing ploys and tricks make my life harder as a parent, as I'm sure they do to others as well. And with the rise in childhood obesity, the marketing of fast food and other processed foods is problematic. Ultimately, the health of a child's nutrition is the responsibility of the parent or guardian, but is it too much to ask for the truth? When it comes to the food industry, the answer is probably. These are the same people putting poisonous chemicals in our food, but I digress.
What steps can you take? First, shopping at stores with healthier products like Wild By Nature, Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods can often eliminate the worst of the food choices, so your child doesn't even have the option of poor nutrition. It is also important to understand what they're watching on TV. You can choose advertisement-free programs or stations or focus only on stations that have rules about advertising to children. Finally, it makes sense to talk to your child about proper nutrition and the importance of avoiding processed foods and dangerous chemicals in the food supply. With up to 20 advertisements a day reaching your child, you can never talk to them too much about healthy food.
The importance placed on children is not to be understated. Not only do they impact their caregiver's purchasing habits with unfair manipulation like kicking and screaming, they will also one day be buying for themselves and their own children. It is a potent strategy that gets kids to want to buy now and come back for more. Hopefully, for decades, if the food companies get their way. Research suggests that kids under 18 see up to 20 commercials a day for food. This can equate to over 7,000 over an entire year and over 100,000 over 15 years. How do you counteract this kind of enormous influence?
While food shopping recently, I decided to take a moment and look at some of the marketing geared toward children. It's not hard to miss that almost every packaged item, geared to any age, are plastered with marketing claims and labels. These are always on the front of the package while the nutrition facts and ingredients are hidden somewhere more discreet, like the back or bottom and needing a magnifying glass to read.
Furthermore, with respect to marketing to children, the size of the cartoon character or "brand ambassador") often takes up the entire front portion of the package, dwarfing any pictures of the actual food product. Let's also not forget all of the tomfoolery that goes into creating the food pictures. Did you ever notice that your bowl of cereal never looks as good as the one on the box? It's because they don't use milk, but glue.
While the average person is easily influenced by advertising, at least subconsciously, children are even more susceptible. These marketing ploys and tricks make my life harder as a parent, as I'm sure they do to others as well. And with the rise in childhood obesity, the marketing of fast food and other processed foods is problematic. Ultimately, the health of a child's nutrition is the responsibility of the parent or guardian, but is it too much to ask for the truth? When it comes to the food industry, the answer is probably. These are the same people putting poisonous chemicals in our food, but I digress.
What steps can you take? First, shopping at stores with healthier products like Wild By Nature, Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods can often eliminate the worst of the food choices, so your child doesn't even have the option of poor nutrition. It is also important to understand what they're watching on TV. You can choose advertisement-free programs or stations or focus only on stations that have rules about advertising to children. Finally, it makes sense to talk to your child about proper nutrition and the importance of avoiding processed foods and dangerous chemicals in the food supply. With up to 20 advertisements a day reaching your child, you can never talk to them too much about healthy food.
About the Author:
Please see my website for more information at food labels or my blog at dangerous food additives
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