U.S. food companies spend billions of dollars (estimated between $10-$15 billion) annually advertising its products to children. Cartoon characters, free giveaways, interactive websites, movie tie-ins, and other methods are used to draw children in and condition them to want a particular product and become loyal to the brand in question. Oftentimes, the actual food is barely shown.
The importance placed on children is not to be understated. Not only do they impact their caregiver's purchasing habits with unfair manipulation like kicking and screaming, they will also one day be buying for themselves and their own children. It is a potent strategy that gets kids to want to buy now and come back for more. Hopefully, for decades, if the food companies get their way. Research suggests that kids under 18 see up to 20 commercials a day for food. This can equate to over 7,000 over an entire year and over 100,000 over 15 years. How do you counteract this kind of enormous influence?
I looked at some processed-food packaging in the grocery store this morning in anticipation of writing this article. The first thing you notice when you look at any food product packaging, targeted to children or not, is that the marketing claims and labels are on the front of the package and substantially larger than the actual ingredients, which are never on the front, but on the side, back, or bottom.
As it pertains to children-focused marketing, it doesn't take long to notice that the movie character (always on the front) is huge while the actual food product is off to the side or corner, if it is even there at all. It is also important to note that the actual pictures of the food are often doctored or at least photographers spend hours framing the product in the best light possible. Your frozen lasagna is not going to look that good, "fresh" out of the microwave.
TV advertisements are highly influential for all people, but particularly children. When kids are in the zone watching their favorite cartoon or show, they are likely in the alpha state, which is a highly suggestible brain state, that is typically used in hypnosis to reach a person's subconscious mind without any gatekeeper. While the responsibility of proper nutrition lies firmly on the shoulders of the parents, these powerful marketing strategies are working against us in a big way, influencing our children against our will.
What steps can you take? First, shopping at stores with healthier products like Wild By Nature, Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods can often eliminate the worst of the food choices, so your child doesn't even have the option of poor nutrition. It is also important to understand what they're watching on TV. You can choose advertisement-free programs or stations or focus only on stations that have rules about advertising to children. Finally, it makes sense to talk to your child about proper nutrition and the importance of avoiding processed foods and dangerous chemicals in the food supply. With up to 20 advertisements a day reaching your child, you can never talk to them too much about healthy food.
The importance placed on children is not to be understated. Not only do they impact their caregiver's purchasing habits with unfair manipulation like kicking and screaming, they will also one day be buying for themselves and their own children. It is a potent strategy that gets kids to want to buy now and come back for more. Hopefully, for decades, if the food companies get their way. Research suggests that kids under 18 see up to 20 commercials a day for food. This can equate to over 7,000 over an entire year and over 100,000 over 15 years. How do you counteract this kind of enormous influence?
I looked at some processed-food packaging in the grocery store this morning in anticipation of writing this article. The first thing you notice when you look at any food product packaging, targeted to children or not, is that the marketing claims and labels are on the front of the package and substantially larger than the actual ingredients, which are never on the front, but on the side, back, or bottom.
As it pertains to children-focused marketing, it doesn't take long to notice that the movie character (always on the front) is huge while the actual food product is off to the side or corner, if it is even there at all. It is also important to note that the actual pictures of the food are often doctored or at least photographers spend hours framing the product in the best light possible. Your frozen lasagna is not going to look that good, "fresh" out of the microwave.
TV advertisements are highly influential for all people, but particularly children. When kids are in the zone watching their favorite cartoon or show, they are likely in the alpha state, which is a highly suggestible brain state, that is typically used in hypnosis to reach a person's subconscious mind without any gatekeeper. While the responsibility of proper nutrition lies firmly on the shoulders of the parents, these powerful marketing strategies are working against us in a big way, influencing our children against our will.
What steps can you take? First, shopping at stores with healthier products like Wild By Nature, Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods can often eliminate the worst of the food choices, so your child doesn't even have the option of poor nutrition. It is also important to understand what they're watching on TV. You can choose advertisement-free programs or stations or focus only on stations that have rules about advertising to children. Finally, it makes sense to talk to your child about proper nutrition and the importance of avoiding processed foods and dangerous chemicals in the food supply. With up to 20 advertisements a day reaching your child, you can never talk to them too much about healthy food.
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