Editor's note: This editorial by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez was part of a MomsRising blog carnival on Oct. 30, 2013. Food marketing to kids is a huge piece of the U.S. obesity puzzle. Latino kids are a prime target for food marketers, largely because of their large population numbers—they comprise 22% of all U.S. youth and will rise to 30% by 2025. But there are other reasons they are such a target. Latino kids have higher rates of exposure to media—TV, computers, video games, etc.—in a typical day than do their white peers, about 13 hours compared with 8.36 hours. And Latino teens have been called “superconsumers” of soda, candy, and snacks spending 4% more than non-Latino teens. The result? About 84% of kid-targeted food and drinks ads on Spanish-language TV ...
Fast-food restaurants continued to target black and Hispanic youth, populations at high risk for obesity and related diseases, according to a new report. Spanish-language fast-food advertising to Hispanic preschoolers increased by 16%, according to Fast Food FACTS 2013. The report, by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, examines the nutritional quality of fast food and how 18 top chain restaurants market their foods and drinks to kids. In 2012 the fast food industry spent $4.6 billion to advertise mostly unhealthy products, and children and teens remained key audiences for that advertising. The report highlights a few positive developments, such as healthier sides and drinks in most restaurants’ kids’ meals, but also shows that restaurants still have a long ...
Junk foods are frequently marketed to children around urban schools in Guatamala, which has a growing obesity problem, according to a new study. The study, published in BioMed Central Public Health, examined the nutritional value and marketing tactics of all child-oriented snacks in 55 stores immediately surrounding four public schools. Researchers identified 826 child-oriented snack foods, at least one in each of the 55 stores. They further analyzed 106 of the snacks. The most common method of marketing to children was placing characters to promote snacks (92.5% of the products), including brand-specific characters, cartoon characters, and creatures/animals. Most character branding was prominently displayed on the front of products, and covered a quarter of the package's ...
A recent study has found that unhealthy food, or junk food, is being marketed to young children in Guatemala and sold in stores located near urban schools. This study found 55 stores within 200 square meters of four public schools, two preschool and two elementary, and accessed what snack foods were being sold. There were 2334 snack food packages total, 826 of which were considered child-oriented. A total of 106 snack items were purchased for further assessment in the study. There was at least one snack food marketed directly for children in each of the 55 stores. The most common method of marketing to children found on these snacks were promotional characters, making up 92.5% of the products, made up of brand-specific characters, cartoon characters, and creatures/animals. Most of the ...
Several food stores across the nation are experimenting with unique ways—such as in-store marketing and altering shopping carts—to gently "nudge" people to improve their eating habits by buying more fresh fruits and vegetables, the New York Times reports. Here are some innovative ways pointed out in the new story: In El Paso, which is predominantly Latino, some stores place a mirror in grocery carts so people can reflect on what items they put in their cart.
Also in El Paso, researchers put mats with large green arrows on the floor to point shoppers toward produce aisles.
Also in El Paso, researchers also English/Spanish places signs in carts that told shoppers how much produce the average customer buys, and the top-selling produce items.
A Virginia grocer use yellow duct ...
Salud America! and MomsRising invite you to a #FoodFri tweetchat about marketing, obesity and Latino children at noon central Friday, Aug. 23, 2013. #FoodFri is a weekly tweetchat MomsRising hosts on Twitter every Friday at noon central/1 p.m. eastern to provide a platform for our food policy partners and the larger food justice community to address food in schools, food marketing to children and other topics. Follow this week's tweetchat @MomsRising & Salud America! (Twitter handle @SaludToday) DATE: Friday, August 23, 2013
TIME: 1:00 PM EDT (noon CST)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #FoodFri
WHO: @MomsRising, @SaludToday and YOU! Be sure to follow @MomsRising, @SaludToday and the hashtag #FoodFri to participate. For other upcoming #FoodFri chats, see here. For ...
Check out this cool new animated video on why its critical to reduce unhealthy food and beverage marketing to Latino kids. The video, which is part of a new Salud America! “Healthier Marketing and Latino Kids” package of research, which also contains a research review, issue brief and infographic, can be found here. Research suggests that food marketers increasingly target Latino kids because of their increasing population size, media exposure and spending power. But additional industry self-regulation and governmental regulation—stimulated by community awareness and action—can help limit the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to Latino ...
Check out this cool infographic on the need to reduce unhealthy food marketing to Latino kids. The infographic, which is part of a new Salud America! “Healthier Marketing and Latino Kids” package of research, which also contains a research review, issue brief and animated video, can be found ...
About 18% of all third-graders in Connecticut are obese. About 25% of Latino third-graders in the state are obese. Some experts in the region are highlighting unhealthy marketing as a contributor, given Latino kids' high exposure to media, the New Britain Herald reports. “In my opinion, Spanish-speaking children are more heavily targeted by junk food, dessert and sugar-sweetened beverage ads because their community is very disempowered and does not have the means to advocate for changes in these unhealthy marketing practices that have been seriously questioned by groups that have a higher social position in the country,” Dr. Rafael Perez-Escamilla, director of the Connecticut Center for Eliminating Health Disparities among Latinos at the University of Connecticut, told the ...
