Report: Changing the Channels
How Big Media Helps Big Food Target Kids (and What to Do about It)
Food and beverage companies spend nearly $2 billion a year marketing to children. Previous studies have found that the majority of foods and beverages advertised during children’s television programming are of poor nutritional quality—i.e., high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, or added sugars or low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
This study assesses the nutritional quality of food and beverage advertisements during children’s television and whether they have improved since the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) implemented its 2013 Uniform Nutrition Criteria.
See also: the Food Marketing to Children Report Card, which assesses each TV channel a letter grade.