Impact of food marketing on children
Marketing plays a very vital role in our decisions of buying or rejecting a particular product. It is a common phenomenon that people tend to buy the products that are marketed in a better and interesting manner rather than the products with simple and somewhat boring marketing. The same scenario works with both children and adults as even kids tend to be attracted to things that they often see on the television or internet. Food marketing is primarily the process to advertise the various food items to encourage the audience to buy them. It has been the general trend that only the fast food items or the foods with less nutritional value is advertised in front of the kids which lures them to eat them. The food industry is getting more aware of this situation and taking actions to mend it.
New guidelines to market food to the kids
The food marketing industry is waiting quite eagerly for the latest report from the FTC which will set new guidelines regarding food marketing to the children. This particular program was launched in the year 2006 and there have been considerable improvements since then and some of them are increment in whole grain and decrement in sodium and sugar. The food companies claim that they have become quite careful to what foods to market to the children so that they receive the highest nutrients possible.
The latest study report by the FTC is all set to release by end of this year 2012 and it has been said that the report will be based on the data from the year 2009 which was collected from around 40 different companies. It has been observed that major food manufacturers such as Hershey Co. plus Mars Inc. have curbed the practice of targeting the child audience for their products.
Some other major food companies such as Nestle USA, Campbell soup Co. plus the Burger king have decided only to advertise the nutritional and healthy food products to the children. The traditional trend that prevailed was that the healthy foods such as cereals were only advertised to the parents but now that trends are changing the food companies are marketing healthy food items such as pebbles and fruit loops. With all the changes that are coming along it seems that only the food items that are rich in nutrients and healthy will reach the kids and that is definitely a good thing.
