posted on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Cereal companies, the third biggest food marketer to children, are using sophisticated digital techniques to target kids with unhealthy products and get them to engage with brands in ways not possible through television advertising, found a study from researchers at Berkeley Media Studies Group and the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The techniques include tracking children’s online behavior and creating interactive ads disguised as entertainment.
posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Public health advocates need to organize strong campaigns to educate the public and policymakers about the dangers of both sugary beverages and the misleading industry corporate social responsibility campaigns that distract from their products’ health risks, according to experts from BMSG and Public Health Advocacy Institute. In a Policy Forum article, authors examined prominent campaigns from PepsiCo and Coca-Cola that they say are similar to Big Tobacco campaigns in their attempts to place responsibility for their products’ health harms on consumers (rather than corporations), boost popularity, and prevent regulation.
posted on Monday, June 18, 2012
Nestle claims it doesn’t market candy to children, but health advocates say a new line of Girl Scout-themed Crunch candy bars violates the company’s pledge. The limited-edition candy bars bear the familiar Girl Scouts logo and evoke three popular Girl Scout Cookie flavors. A key difference between the candy bars and cookies is that the new candy bars have more calories, more saturated fat, and more sugars, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). CSPI’s Margo Wootan and BMSG’s Lori Dorfman have urged the company to stop marketing unhealthy foods featuring the Girl Scout’s name and logo and refrain from similar marketing approaches in the future.
posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
New research has found that the U.S. government and schools have made mixed progress to address food and beverage marketing practices that put young people’s health at risk. A comprehensive review published in the March issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that public sector stakeholders have failed to fully implement recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to support a healthful diet to children and adolescents. In a commentary accompanying the article, BMSG’s Lori Dorfman notes that the food and beverage industry spends more than $5 million every day marketing foods high in fat, sugar and salt to youth.
