Deconstructing Ads For Snack and Junk Food Which Target Young Children
Written and produced by Frank Baker, Copyright 2004
Related articles/background readings:
JANUARY 2018
Former junk food ad exec reveals marketing techniques
DECEMBER 2017
Study: Preschoolers still see food ads despite industry pledge
JANUARY 2017
Attack of the Ads (Scholastic)
DECEMBER 2016
Kids TV Ads for Unhealthy Foods Have Skyrocketed in Just 4 Years
Junk food companies disaproportionally target African-Americans Children (study)
Online junk food ads banned (UK)
OCTOBER 2016
Study shows advertising is still an obstacle to raising kids w/o gender stereotypes
FTC Compaint Alleges That Google, Disney and others Profit from Deceptive Ads Aimed At kids
JUNE 2016
Facebook being used to push junk food to kids
AUGUST 2015
- Study: Ads for Junk Food & Soda Target Minorities More Than Whites
MAY 2015
- Study: Junk Food Ads Aimed at Kids Still A Problem
- Food Ads During Children’s TV Don’t Meet Proposed Guidelines
NOVEMBER 2014
- Study: Fast Food Ads Target Black Youth More
- Children Exposed to More Than 1000 Junk Food Ads Each Year
OCTOBER 2014
JANUARY 2014
DECEMBER 2013
NOVEMBER 2013
- Fast Food Ads Continue to Target Children
- US kids ages 6-11 saw 10 percent fewer TV ads for fast-food
SEPTEMBER 2013
AUGUST 2013
- Kids’ Fast Food Ads Promote Toys Over Burgers, Study Finds
- Research: Latino kids are a top target of junk food ads
- Legislation Would Use Tax Code to Stop Junk Food Ads Targeting Kids
JULY 2013
JUNE 2013
MAY 2013
MARCH 2013
- U of A researchers want to see an end to unhealthy food and beverage ads aimed at children
- Banning Food Ads Targeted At Kids
- Nearly 70% of Food Ads on Nickelodeon are for Junk
- Ad Blasts Nick for Airing Junk Food Ads
FEBRUARY 2013
JANUARY 2013
- Outdoor Fast Food Ads Could Promote Obesity
- Food ads targeting parents promise taste, convenience, but deliver bad nutrition, study finds
DECEMBER 2012
- Soda and Food Ads Aimed at Kids Decline
- Food TV ads for children drop, as web, mobile marketing rise amid obesity crisis
- Food Marketers Get ‘Smarter’ About Ads for Kids
- Nick Targeted in Fight Over Food Marketing Guidelines
OCTOBER 2012
JUNE 2012
MAY 2012
- Should Kids Shows Partner With Fast Food Companies?
- Institute of Medicine Wants Food Ad Standards Applied to Teens
- FTC Attempt to Limit Food Marketing to Kids Loses Steam
- Junk Food, TV-Watching Linked Among Teens
APRIL 2012
FEBRUARY 2012
JANUARY 2012
- Advergames Increase Junk Food Eating (Study)
- Look At The Difference Between Fast Food Ads And Real Menu Items
DECEMBER 2011
OCTOBER 2011
- Marketers Call for FTC to Scrap Food Guidelines
- Political food fight over junk food ads to kids
- Fast food ads have more impact than parents, study suggests
- Food ads more persuasive than parents, study suggests
AUGUST 2011
- Cartoon characters prod kids to nag for unhealthy foods
- The Nag Factor: How Children Convince Their Moms To Buy Junk Food
- Junk food still stars in TV ads seen by kids
- Kids seeing fewer TV ads for sweets and snacks, study finds
JULY 2011
JUNE 2011
- Junk food ads really do make kids hungry for unhealthy meals
- U.S. Doctors: Ban Fast Food Ads on TV
- Marketing Food To Kids With Cartoon Characters
MAY 2011
APRIL 2011
- U.S. Seeks New Limits on Food Ads for Children
- Advertisers Rebuke Obama Administration’s Proposed Rules on Marketing Food to Kids
- Cartoon characters on cereal boxes may be influencing kids, new study finds
NOVEMBER 2010
- Fast-food restaurants target kids, study shows
- Fast Food Restaurants Market Non-Healthy Menu Items Heavily To Kids
- Of Over 3000 Kids’ Meal Combinations, Only 12 Seen As Healthy For Preschoolers
- Are Kids Prey For Fast Food Companies?
SEPTEMBER 2010
- Internet the new junk food battleground
- Most US kids see fewer food ads on television: study
- FTC Subpoenas 48 Food Companies Regarding Marketing to Kids
- Fast foods: ads vs reality
AUGUST 2010
- Sneaky Commercials: The Unconscious Way TV Makes You Eat
- The power of persuasion: Food marketing works
JULY 2010
JUNE 2010
- Study: Cartoon Characters Attract Kids to Junk Food
- FTC Alleges False Advertising Of Rice Krispies
- TV food advertisements promote imbalanced diets
MAY 2010
MARCH 2010
- Food and entertainment companies get low marks for policies on marketing food to children
- Food marketing to kids
FEBRUARY 2010
- More Licensed Characters and Other Packaging Promotions
- Used to Market Less Nutritious Foods to Kids (Yale Study)
- Junk food gets spotlight in many movies: study
- Study finds junk food ads, not TV, make kids fat
DECEMBER 2009
NOVEMBER 2009
- Most Food Ads on Nickelodeon Still For Junk Food
- Ads for unhealthy foods increase childhood consumption 45%
AUGUST 2009
JULY 2009
MAY 2009
MARCH 2009
FEBRUARY 2009
JULY 2008
APRIL 2008
JULY 2007
JUNE 2007
MARCH 2007
- New Study: Food: Top Product Seen Advertised by Children (watch some of the TV commercials cited by the Kaiser report)
JULY 2006
- Food companies lure kids with online games (Kaiser Study)
- Fast-food franchisees ask chains to tone down racy ads
- Online Games Influence Kids’ Food Choices
- FDA warns Cheerios over health claims
- WONKA Brands Dropped From Kids Shows
- ANA: Kids Seeing Fewer Snack-Food Ads
- Despite Pledges, Nickelodeon Still Marketing Nutritionally Poor Food
- Burger King goes after moms with new ads
- Child obesity seen as fueled by Spanish language TV ads
- Patterns: Children’s Ads on TV Push Sugar and Fat
- Survey Says: Kids TV Ad Diet High In Sweets, Fats & Salt
- Psychologists seek strict guidelines for fast-food ads
- Learn to be skeptical of online health information
- More Major Food Marketers Establish Kids-Advertising Limits;
- Limiting Ads of Junk Food to Children
- Encourage kids’ critical thinking on ads
- Media literacy essential for health kids
- Kellogg to Phase Out Some Food Ads to Children
- Advocacy Group Says Nick Should Ditch Junk Food Ads (FTC report)
- TV Food Advertising Unchanged
- Protecting kids from online food ads
- FCC May Need To Regulate Food Ads
- TV food ads increase obese children’s appetite by 134% (UK Study)
- Food for Thought: TV Food Advertising to Children in the US (Kaiser Study)
- Marketers, Media Get Chewed Out About Childhood Obesity
- M&M’s maker to stop marketing to kids
- Do TV Ads Cause Childhood Obesity?
- General Mills Yanks Reduced-Sugar Cereal
- Do food ads make kids fat? Effort to limit commercials may be revived
- New Disney Rules Limit Character Use in Kids’ Foods
- Food Ads Aim to Build Brand Loyalty in Preschoolers, Researcher Says
- High-Fat Food Ads Target Toddlers
- FCC To Study Ads, Kids Weight Links
- Food Companies lure kids with online games (Kaiser study)
- In: fruit crisps, milk.Out: Twix, Coke.
- Industry Urged to Offer More Nutritious Foods for Children
- Ads May Explain Link Between TV Viewing & Overweight in Children
- Black oriented TV has more fast food ads
- HARKIN LAUNCHES FRESH ATTACK ON FAST FOOD
- Taco Bell Nation
- HOW KELLOGG IGNORED WARNING SIGNS OF FOOD LAWSUIT
- Kellogg Viacom Sued Over Junk Food Ads
- Under pressure: food makers shift to healthier options
- IOM tells industry to stop marketing junk food to kids
- Snack-food makers promote exercise, healthful diets for kids
- CARU Raises Hackles By Tightening Children’s Ad Rules
- Kids put nutrition in the picture
- The Messenger Changes Tactics (Broadcasting/Cable)
- Critics say watchdog group too soft on advertising industry
- McDonalds introduces nutrition labeling
- USDA unveils food pyramid for kids
- Sodas on the dietary hot seat
- Junk food more available in middle schools
- California AG wants warning labels on fries, chips
- Food Landscape in TV: junk food ads (study)
- Junk food nation: who’s to blame (The Nation)
- Cereal ads give apples a bad rap, critics say
- Powerful persuasion: can healthy ads balance the junk?
- Advocacy Group: Kellogg’s Cereal Ad Misleads
- Study: junk food ads spur kids’ obesity
- Fries with that fruit?
- Various articles on FTC Kids’ food ad hearings
- Grasp of media literacy is crucial to kids health
- Debate Over Soda Warnings: groups argue over limits on kids ads
- Food Makers Propose Tougher Guidelines For Children’s Ads
- Food Marketers Up To Their Old Trix
- General Mills touts sugary cereals as healthy breakfast
- TV confuses children about which foods are healthy, new study finds
- Aiming at kids: Pressure builds on foodmakers
- Articles: TV-obesity link
- School teaches healthy nutrition in preschool
- Childhood obesity fueled by marketing tactics
- Push grows to limit food ads to children
- A three Twinkies lunch
- Living in the fast food lane/Kids and caffeine
- Junk Food’s Health Crusade: How Ronald McDonald Became a Health Ambassador
- When a food marketer helps devise nutrition advice
- FOOD ADVERTISING PUSHED INTO HARSH SPOTLIGHT
- Won’t Ban Junk-Food Ads for Kids, US Official Says
- Sweet tips to give sugar the slip from kids’ diets
- General Mills defends ads aimed at children
- Major food groups form lobby; Food execs say they’re helping kids fight fat
- McDonalds Ads Target Children As Young As 4
- Do Ads Make Kids Fat?
- Kraft To Curb Junk Food ads aimed at kids (Jan. 2005)
- Marketing Food To Kids (Jan. 2005)
- National Geographic kids magazine packed with ads for foods and drinks that promote obesity and diabetes
- Yale Prof Examines Obesity Causes
- Junk Food Junkies
- Commentary: From Fat Nation to Fit Nation
- Twin child scourges: obesity and television
- Food-label rule proves to be a big ingredient for change
- Destiny’s Child Lovin’ McDonald’s Deal
- NAS announces campaign on foods & obesity (Sept.30, 2004)
- Kill the messenger (June 2004)
- Psychologists urge limits on advertising to kids
- Don’t blame ads: Kids view fewer food commercials; ANA, GMA studies released
- Ads Rapped In Child Obesity Fight | February 24, 2004
- Junk Food Ads contributing to Fat kids (AP, 2/24/2004)
- Bombarded by Food Ads (Dec.2003)
- Pulling the Plug on Fat Ads (Aug. 2003)
