When we don’t teach our children about food, they do!

When we don’t teach our children, they do!

Fast food marketers target children with advertising. Targeted marketing content is designed to appeal specifically to children.

In the United States (in 2012):

• The fast food industry spent $4.6 billion to advertise mostly unhealthy products. Children remained the key audience for that advertising.
• Children saw 3.2 fast food ads per day and teenagers saw 4.8 fast food ads per day.
• McDonald’s ads accounted for more than 1/3 of fast food ads viewed by children. It was the only restaurant to advertise more to children than to older age groups.
• McDonald’s spent $972 million on advertisements during 2012. Comparatively, only $45 million total was spent on fruit advertisements.
• McDonald’s placed 63% more third-party website ads in 2012 compared with 2009.

Source: Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.
For more, see: http://www.fastfoodmarketing.org/media/FastFoodFACTS_Report_Summary.pdf

In Canada (now):

• As much as 90% of the foods marketed to children are unhealthy.
• 31.5% of Canadian children (aged 5-17) are overweight or obese.

Quote from Dr. Tom Warshawski, Chair of the Childhood Obesity Foundation:

“Parents work extremely hard to teach their children healthy habits as they know the habits they form at an early age follow them through their lives. We need to help parents as they strive to instill healthy preferences in their children.”

In Canada, a group called “Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition” aims to restrict unhealthy food and beverage marketing to children. To sign their petition, go to their website:
http://takeaction.heartandstroke.ca/iz#/take_action_steps.step1/Canada/campaign/1