Junk Food Ads Directed at Kids

A recent study by the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior exposes what most parents already know... The Food Industry is targeting children heavily for unhealthy junk food ads. Researchers at the University of California Davis analyzed the type and frequency of food advertising on Saturday morning and weekday afternoon television for both English and Spanish American television programs.

“Study after study has documented the adverse health effects of food advertising targeting children and adolescents,” they wrote.

The study found that nearly a third of commercials on children’s networks were for food, compared to a fifth during programming for a general audience. The majority of these (70 percent) were for foods that were high in sugar or fat. Adolecent teenagers are not exempt and continue to be targeted with over 50% of advertising for fast food restaurants.

In addition, the researchers found that for every nutrition-based public service announcement, there were 63 advertisements for food products.

Parents can't wait for the food industry to get a concious... self regulation is not working. What can parents do to counteract these unhealthy junk food ads? #1.. Educate our children about the importance of a whole food diet and healthy lifestyle. Teach them that advertisers are financially motivated to lure them into using their products and their goal is to hook you as a regular/long term user. #2 Reduce or eliminate tv viewing and promote a positive influence on our children.