Encouraging big food to do the right thing for children’s health: a case study on using research to improve marketing of sugary cereals

Abstract

Addressing concerns about unhealthy food marketing to children, food companies pledge to advertise only ‘healthier dietary choices’ in ‘child-directed media’. However, public health advocates question whether the food industry will voluntarily improve their child-targeted marketing practices in a meaningful way. In this paper, we evaluate progress made by manufacturers of one food category – ready-to-eat breakfast cereals – in promoting nutritious choices to children, and the potential role of scientific research to influence corporate behavior. Beginning in 2008, researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity conducted a series of studies to evaluate child-targeted marketing by cereal companies using a variety of research methods. We aimed to understand the extent and impact of cereal marketing to children; disseminate these findings to parents, the media, the public health community, policy-makers, and industry representatives; and encourage cereal companies to shift child-targeted marketing toward the more nutritious products in their portfolios. A follow-up analysis in 2012 demonstrated some improvements in the nutritional quality and marketing of child-targeted cereals, although child-targeted cereals remain the least healthy products in company portfolios. This analysis provides a case study of the potential for success, as well as the limitations, of a public health strategy to incent food companies to voluntarily improve child-targeted marketing practices through strategic research and communications.

Keywords:

• public policy
• food marketing
• childhood obesity

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the staff at the Rudd Center who contributed to the research outlined in this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

Funding. This research was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.