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

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Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents • • • • • • 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 76 161
Assessment of Food Company Health Initiatives and Recommendations company supported an in-school “healthy eating” facts newsletter to be sent home with grade school children, and developed educational materials for pre-K and kindergarten classrooms on the importance of proper diet, nutrition, and physical activity. Another company collaborated with the President’s Challenge 164 to develop a national health and fitness initiative for middle school students. The program features inspirational celebrities to promote healthy eating and physical activity, and provides teachers with unbranded materials on how to incorporate lessons on healthy living in their curricula. Several of the initiatives highlighted by the reporting companies have been aimed at Hispanic and African American populations, in which rates of childhood obesity are high. For example, two packaged food companies reported partnerships with outside organizations to promote youth programs focused on Latin dance in the Hispanic community. 165 Another company reported distributing a magazine with nutrition and other information to assist Hispanic mothers with children at home. A packaged food company has partnered with the BET Foundation to promote health and nutrition to African American families, especially women and girls, through the “Healthy BET” program. Healthy BET activities have included television PSAs, an informational website and toll-free hotline, an obesity camp for girls, a national fitness challenge, and a health forum. 166 The same company offers grants to non-profit organizations to promote nutrition and fitness, with the majority of grant money reportedly going to support children of color. 167 Some companies also reported sponsoring sports programs or events focusing on Hispanic and African American youth. In addition, a beverage company engaged in nutrition-related events aimed at the Hispanic population, and supported a Hispanic community organization that addressed topics such as childhood nutrition and development. As in the case of product-specific promotional campaigns, some companies have adopted an integrated approach to healthy message campaigns, using several media avenues to reach children and teens. For example, a campaign that aims to increase consumption of milk by teens includes a teen-targeted interactive website, milk-mustache celebrity endorsements, and in- school posters. Similarly, a beverage company’s educational platform has been featured on the children’s portion of the company website, in school materials, in sponsored events promoting physical activity, and through funding and support of fitness activities of certain community organizations. A packaged food company’s campaign to promote produce, whole grains, and exercise featured an interactive website, links on company-sponsored and third-party websites, spots on a popular children’s cable television network, and other media avenues. The 2006 Report also recommended that food and beverage companies conduct consumer research on the impact of their healthy message initiatives, in order to identify simple, effective messages. 168 Some of the reporting companies have sought to examine the potential 77
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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Marketing
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Report Contributors Bureau of Consu
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Appendices 2. Athletic and Other Ev
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List of Figures Figure II.1: Report
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Marketing Food to Children and Adol
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