Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...

Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents
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Sponsoring activities of the Boys & Girls Clubs, such as the “Triple Play” wellness
program; 159
Supporting the Kidnetic website, a child-oriented health and fitness resource
site, offered as part of the International Food Information Council Foundation’s
ACTIVATE outreach program; 160
Sponsoring the America on the Move Foundation’s nutrition and fitness campaign;
Partnering with the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the President’s
Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to promote healthy lifestyle programs;
Sponsoring Shaping America’s Youth nutrition and fitness initiative to centralize
information on programs around the nation to combat childhood obesity; 162 and
Pledging to promote the USDA’s MyPyramid Food Guidance System and to
encourage physical activity through product promotion or public education efforts. 163
Several of the reporting companies have distributed printed materials (e.g., brochures,
magazines, books, and stickers) to encourage healthy eating by children and families. In
many instances, they also have included nutrition and fitness advice on brand websites or
other company-sponsored sites. Some companies have posted nutrition and healthy lifestyles
information specifically on child-directed portions of their sites. For example, a multi-
brand company developed a child-focused interactive website with information about the
benefits of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and exercise. A produce company developed an
interactive website with nutrition-based games, animated characters, and eating and exercise
tips to encourage children to consume healthy foods and be active. A QSR also developed an
interactive website, featuring licensed characters from a popular children’s animated movie, that
combined online games with offline activity challenges.
Many of the reporting companies sponsored national, regional, and local youth sporting
activities, clinics, and camps in fields such as baseball, track and field, basketball, and soccer.
For example, beverage companies and QSRs were among companies that sponsored soccer and
basketball activities, with one company sponsoring a community youth soccer program involving
over 7,000 adolescents competing in a series of tournaments that culminated in an international
World Cup style event. A QSR supported a sports leadership academy for adolescent girls, and
a candy company sponsors track and field meets in which over 300,000 children and adolescents
compete annually. Several companies described these activities as opportunities to introduce
children and adolescents to physical fitness and, in turn, to allow them to have fun, and develop
athletic and teamwork skills, confidence, and a sense of achievement.
In addition, several reporting companies have offered nutrition and exercise information
to schools, such as lesson plans, educational materials, and fitness programs. For example, one
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161