Transcript The Role of Food Marketing on Childhood Obesity

The Role of Food Marketing
on Childhood Obesity
NUTR 547 - Nutrition Update
Summer 2006
David L. Gee, PhD
http://www.happymeal.com/cars/
The Economics of Food
Marketing
Report on Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity.
FTC & DHHS, 2005
$900 billion
annual sales of the food, beverage, and restaurant
industries
Total marketing = $???
$11 billion for advertising
$5 billion for TV advertising
Other marketing routes
product placement
character licensing
special events
in-school activities
adver-games
The Economics of Food
Marketing
Report on Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity.
FTC & DHHS, 2005
Advertising to children
between 1994-2004, the rate of increase in the
introduction of new food products targeting children
substantially outpaced the rate for targeting the total
market
Estimated $10 billion spent on marketing foods to
children
Children and youth spend $200 billion annually
influence many good purchases beyond those they
make directly
When Children Eat What They Watch: Impact of
Television Viewing on Dietary Intake in Youth.
J Wiecha et al, Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006; 160:436-442
 Design
prospective observational study over 9 months
measures of youth diet, physical activity, television viewing
 Subjects
548 students in 4 Boston public schools (avg age = 11.7y)
 Results
each hour of TV viewing associated with additional 167 Cal
each hour of TV viewing associated with increased consumption
of foods frequently advertised
History of Regulation of Food
Marketing to Children
 1977
Action for Children’s Television and Center for Science in the
Public Interest
petition FTC to halt TV commercials for candy and sugary snack
foods directed at children
 1978
FTC issues staff report
“television advertising for any product directed to children who are
too young to appreciate the selling purpose of, or otherwise
comprehend or evaluate, the advertising is inherently unfair and
deceptive”
“it is hard to envision any remedy short of a ban adequate to cure
this inherent unfairness and deceptiveness”
History of Regulation of Food
Marketing to Children
1978-1979
FTC holds public hearings
proposed ban on all TV advertisements targeting
young children
Proposed ban for sugary snack foods aimed at
older children
TV networks, ad agencies, food & toy companies
oppose the FTC’s proceedings
• attempt to stop hearings
• lobbied Congress to prevent FTC from using funding to
address children’s television
• filed lawsuit against FTC
History of Regulation of Food
Marketing to Children
 1980 (prior to FTC acting on children’s TV advertising)
 Congress passes FTC Improvement Act of 1980
FTC allowed to regulate on case-by-case basis
FTC barred from issuing industry-wide regulations
 1981
 FTC concludes that only effective remedy would be total ban, but this
would end children’s TV programming
 FTC agrees to regulate on case-by-case basis
 Industry initiates voluntary self-regulation
Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU)
 1990
 FTC limits commercials to 10.5 min/hr on weekends and 12min/hr
weekdays during children’s programming
codified the industry norm
History of Regulation of Food
Marketing to Children
From 1980-2004, overweight rates in children
triple
2005: FTC holds workshop on marketing
practices that might promote obesity
FTC chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras reassures
industry at the beginning of workshop that
the FTC would not take any regulatory action
“A government ban on children’s food advertising is neither
wise nor viable.”
History of Regulation of Food
Marketing to Children
May 2006: FTC & DHHS release Report on
Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity.
 Key Findings from evidence review
Strong evidence: TV advertising influences in children ages 2-11
food & beverage preferences
food & be& beverages purchase requests
short-term consumption
Moderate evidence:
food & beverage beliefs
usual dietary intake
Evidence insufficient for teens
History of Regulation of Food
Marketing to Children
May 2006: FTC & DHHS release Report on
Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity.
Recommendations:
Industry should…promote and support more
healthful diets for children…
If voluntary efforts … are unsuccessful…
Congress should enact legislation mandating
the shift (to healthier foods) on both
broadcast and cable TV.
History of Regulation of Food
Marketing to Children
 On the same day, Commercial Alert (national nonprofit
organizations that “protects children and communities
from commercialism”) issues statement:
 “Today’s FTC-HHS report is a candy-coated present to
the junk food industry…The report merely recommends
more self-regulation, which has historically been a
dismal failure.”
 “The FTC-HHS report represents another fat payback to
the food industry for its generous support for the BushCheney 2004 campaign.”