Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...
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<strong>Marketing</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Children</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Adolescents</strong><br />
for competitive foods <strong>and</strong> beverages sold in schools, outside the school meal program. These<br />
developments are discussed below. 93<br />
1. <strong>Children</strong>’s <strong>Food</strong> <strong>and</strong> Beverage Advertising Initiative<br />
One major development since the 2006 Report was the <strong>Children</strong>’s <strong>Food</strong> <strong>and</strong> Beverage<br />
Advertising Initiative (Initiative), established by the CBBB in November 2006. The Initiative is<br />
an effort <strong>to</strong> change the mix of food <strong>and</strong> beverage advertising messages directed <strong>to</strong> children under<br />
12 <strong>to</strong> encourage healthier eating <strong>and</strong> lifestyles.<br />
The Initiative has five central components. Participating companies must:<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
Devote at least 50% of their advertising directed <strong>to</strong> children under 12 (on television<br />
<strong>and</strong> radio, in print, <strong>and</strong> on the Internet) <strong>to</strong> promote “healthy dietary choices” <strong>and</strong>/or<br />
<strong>to</strong> messages that encourage good nutrition or healthy lifestyles;<br />
Limit products depicted in interactive games directed <strong>to</strong> children under 12 <strong>to</strong> healthy<br />
dietary choices, or incorporate healthy lifestyle messages in<strong>to</strong> the game;<br />
Reduce their use of third-party licensed characters in advertising that does not<br />
promote healthy dietary choices or healthy lifestyles;<br />
Not engage in product placement of food <strong>and</strong> beverage products in edi<strong>to</strong>rial <strong>and</strong><br />
entertainment content directed <strong>to</strong> children under 12; <strong>and</strong><br />
Not advertise food or beverage products in elementary schools.<br />
To date, 13 food <strong>and</strong> beverage companies have joined the Initiative: Burger King, Cadbury<br />
Adams, Campbell Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, ConAgra <strong>Food</strong>s, General Mills,<br />
The Hershey Company, Kellogg Company, Kraft <strong>Food</strong>s, Mars, McDonald’s USA, PepsiCo,<br />
<strong>and</strong> Unilever United States. These companies are estimated <strong>to</strong> have accounted for more than<br />
two-thirds of food <strong>and</strong> beverage television advertising directed <strong>to</strong> children in 2004, 95 <strong>and</strong> all<br />
but one provided a response <strong>to</strong> the FTC’s Special Order. 96 Each participating company has<br />
submitted a pledge, setting forth the specifics of its commitment, which has been approved by<br />
the CBBB. 97 Appendix E <strong>to</strong> this Report contains tables summarizing the details of each pledge.<br />
The Commission encourages other industry members <strong>to</strong> join the Initiative.<br />
Four companies – Cadbury Adams, Coca-Cola, Hershey, <strong>and</strong> Mars – have pledged not<br />
<strong>to</strong> direct any advertising <strong>to</strong> children under 12. The other nine companies have each adopted<br />
minimum nutritional st<strong>and</strong>ards for foods <strong>and</strong> beverages they will market <strong>to</strong> children under 12,<br />
<strong>and</strong> have pledged that 100% of their child-directed advertising will be limited <strong>to</strong> qualifying<br />
“healthy dietary choices,” 98 or, in the case of one company, may also include healthy lifestyle<br />
messages. 99 These commitments go beyond the Initiative’s requirement that at least 50% of<br />
child-directed ads promote healthy dietary choices or contain healthy lifestyle messages.<br />
62<br />
94