Food marketing to children

Remember some of the cereal and drink television ads from your childhood? "They're Great!" or "How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?"

Food and beverage advertising targeting children is as old as time. Unfortunately it has exploded over the last 10 years, where now $10 billion annually is spent on marketing to children - and most of that is for food.

Ninety eight percent of all TV food ads viewed by children are for foods high in sugar, fat or sodium. While TV ads have been most popular in the past, the trend is to advertise to children on the web in virtual worlds and through "advergames" (video games advertising a product), free downloads such as screen savers and ring tones and podcasts.

Coca-Cola knew what it was doing when it paid $20 million for product placement in American Idol-one of the top rated TV shows for children.

Growing healthy children should be high priority for the nation, especially in light of the obesity trends.

Developing healthful eating habits in children means reducing their intake of high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks, fast foods and sweetened drinks, which ironically are marketed to them most.

Institute of Medicine recently issued a report "Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity."

This report validates the evidence that television advertising influences children's preferences, purchase requests, and diets.

It offers recommendations for companies to develop effective marketing and advertising strategies that promote healthier foods, beverages, and meal options to children and youth.

Here's the good news: In response to the IOM's report, 16 of the nation's largest food and beverage companies voluntarily joined the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. The Initiative is designed to move advertising messaging to children that encourage healthier dietary choices and healthy lifestyles.

Under the Initiative, nutrition standards direct what foods are advertised to children under 12 in both traditional and newer social and digital platforms. Leading the pack is Kellogg. The company's products that don't meet the nutrient standards will either be reformulated or no longer marketed to children under 12.

The Nutrient Standards are based on a typical 2,000 calorie diet and set an upper threshold per serving of 200 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 230 milligrams of sodium and 12 grams of sugar.

I checked Most of the Kellogg "child targeted" cereals I checked recently meet the standards, except Pop Tarts. It is encouraging that we are finally seeing some leadership to curb childhood obesity coming from industry.