Food Marketing Practices Deemed Bad for Children’s Health
Officials at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) called into question the marketing practices of food and beverage companies in a report published on December 6th, in which researchers went as far as to blame these marketing practices for the unhealthy dietary patterns among the nation’s children. “The prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children and youth in America represents, at best, a missed opportunity, and at worst, a direct threat to the health prospects of the next generation,” the report said. The purpose of the report was to provide a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence on the influence of food marketing on diets and diet-related health of children and youth. The study, titled “Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity,” was commissioned at the request of Congress, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and carried out by the IOM.
Specifically, the report found that current food and beverage marketing practices put children’s long-term health at risk. “If America’s children are to develop eating habits that help them avoid early onset of diet-related chronic diseases, they have to reduce their intake of high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks, fast foods and sweetened drinks, which make up a high proportion of the products marketed to them,” researchers said. The report made 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. These recommendations apply to
the food, beverage and restaurant industries; food retailers and trade associations;
the entertainment industry and the media; parents and caregivers; schools and the
government. According to a New York Times article published the day after the report,
it was recommended that a long-term campaign be undertaken to help educate the public about making healthy food choices. This campaign, the article said, would be financed through a combination of public and private funds, “the latter coming from the industries considered responsible for the increase in the number of overweight and obese children.”
Issuing a statement in response to the report was the Grocery Manufacturers Association of America (GMA), which said, “Providing a wide variety of nutritious foods and beverages, and helping parents make the right choices for their families is our industry’s top priority. Because GMA members share the IOM’s concerns about childhood obesity, they have already undertaken many of the committee’s recommendations.”