Analysis: Kids Inundated By Food Ads

Mar 28, 03:12 PM

Current Headlines: By TODD ZWILLICH

Food companies beam an average of 21 product ads per day at American pre-teenagers, and the bulk of these ads are pushing unhealthy fare like candy and fast food, concludes a report released Wednesday.

It's a phenomenon critics say is a major factor driving the nation's childhood obesity epidemic.

The report found children ages 8 to 12 can be expected to view 7,600 ads promoting food in a single year, which confirms growing concern from advocates and some legislators that aggressive marketing exposes kids to repeated messages promoting low-nutrition food. In a report last year, the Institute of Medicine pegged food marketing as a key contributor to rising childhood obesity rates.

The way in which media impacts the most is (by) a slow drip, drip, drip, said Dale Kunkel, professor of communications at the University of Arizona and member of the IOM committee.

Wednesday's study found that ads for candy, snacks, cereal and fast food made up more than two-thirds of all food ads aimed at children. It also found that none of nearly 9,000 ads reviewed promoted fruits or vegetables.

Walter Gantz, a University of Indiana researcher who conducted the study, said children under 7 view an average of 12 food advertisements per day. For a year, that works out to be about 4,400 ads, he said.

Eleven large food manufacturers pledged late last year to curtail marketing of unhealthy food during television programs. Companies said they would move to shift half of child-targeted ads to healthy foods or healthy lifestyles.

Companies are moving to act voluntarily under the threat of new regulations from both Democrats and Republicans. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said he's watching for companies to make substantial steps to curtail junk food marketing.

If things are not working together and things are not happening, I think you're going to see a much stronger regulatory regime, he said. Brownback, a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, declined to say what specifically would prevent him from pursuing new advertising laws.

Companies said the report, which took data from 2005, failed to reflect recent changes in advertising practices. The current landscape has dramatically changed, said Daniel Jaffee, executive vice president of the Association of National Advertisers.

But others said they were skeptical that the industry's efforts at self- regulation would be effective. Companies' voluntary pledge applies to half the ads on programs specifically targeted to children, although such shows make up only about one-third of children's average viewing time, said Vicky Rideout, a Kaiser Foundation vice president.

(It) looks good on paper, but in reality I think what we'll see is candy bar ads with healthy lifestyle messages in them, said Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Companies' voluntary guidelines will be monitored by an industry group called the National Advertising Review Council. C. Lee Peeler, the group's CEO, said the guidelines are the first time the industry has moved to substantially change its advertising.

I would say, give us a chance, see what we can do, he said.