Food More and more US food multinationals
are setting limits on marketing to children. They are reacting to the
Pressure from associations and politicians.
When it comes to marketing for children,
paints Irma Zandl, President of the youth market research company Zandl
Group in New York, a decidedly grim future scenario: "Big
Food will become the next Big Tobacco," she says, referring to the
financial bankruptcy and the damage to its image that the
US tobacco companies after a series of class action lawsuits in the 1990s
had to accept. "In the future, food and beverage companies will soon
only really healthy and fresh food for children
market. Companies that continue to market junk food as healthy
will be demonized by the media." As a result
large corporations such as Kraft Foods would be smaller companies that produce organic
products, buy them up and market them under their umbrella brand.
In view of the current discussion about the responsibility of
US food manufacturers to blame for increasing obesity
American children, Zandl's assessment is not surprising. Children in
in the USA watch around 40000 TV commercials a year. For them, advertising
driving industry, according to the Center for Science and the Public
Interest in Washington, eight billion dollars in the same period
from. According to a study by the children's channel Nickelodeon, a
average 10-year-old between 300 and 400 brands
identify. More than 70 percent of the commercials on television that
are aimed at children, are suitable for foods such as crispy
Dried muesli, confectionery and fast food.
Self-regulating measures
The industry is aware of the marketing rain that is constantly falling on the
children are well aware of this. According to a survey by the
According to market research institute Harris Interactive, 58 percent of
marketing professionals surveyed said that children are overly exposed to advertising.
bombarded. Legislators have now also taken up the cause.
adopted: Democratic Senator Tom Harkin is lobbying for a
Act, which allows the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
would allow advertising for children to be strictly regulated. Also
Hillary Clinton calls for an initiative to investigate
the connection between media consumption and obesity.
In order to pre-empt such legislative pressure, many companies are
are currently voluntarily imposing restrictions on themselves. The pioneer is the
Food giant Kraft Foods, which is part of the "Sensible
Solutions" a low-calorie drink mix from the Kool Aid brand,
low-fat muesli and mini packets of Ahoy and Orio's cookies
and, as of 2006, intends to refrain worldwide from providing children with
bombarding confectionery advertisements on television and on school grounds.
In addition, Kraft foods that are sold in schools are to be
meet certain health standards. It is "unprecedented" how far
the Kraft initiative, says Brady Darvin, director at Strottman
Marketing, the agency that helps fast food companies like Taco Bell and Quizno's
advises. And it attracts other companies with it.
McDonald's, for example, now offers its Kids Meals with apples and juice instead of
with French fries and lemonade - a move that has made the company
the largest apple buyer in the USA in one fell swoop.
Chips manufacturer Frito-Lay, which belongs to Pepsi-Cola, now offers
snacks that contain healthier fatty acids instead of cholesterol.
corn oil was used and reduced the fat content of the Dorito chips.
Another new development is that many companies are selling their confectionery in smaller
portions. Mars, for example, wants the king-size chocolate bar
from the shelves and instead offer smaller versions of
Snickers and Twix.
Avoiding calorie bombs
Market-leading muesli producers such as Kellogg's and General Mills have recently started offering
a crunchy breakfast with wholemeal added. The
American beverage producers Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola,
who have reduced the calorie content of some of their products.
Even the media are showing interest: The children's channel Nickelodeon
with advertisers that more healthier products should be advertised.
that are also readily available in the supermarket. So emblazoned
now the popular children's cartoon "Sponge Bob Square Pants" is no longer just a
on cereal boxes, but also on bottles of mineral water, spinach and
Carrot bag.
However, some foods, despite all the good intentions and
measures simply do not reach the customer. "We have also had
yogurt on offer and the McLean Burger, which is 93 percent
is lower in fat," said McDonald's manager Michael Donahue recently on
a panel organized by the FTC on the topic. But: "They were not
market," he summarized the disappointing result of the
new concept to counter the fast food chain's declining image and sales.
should have absorbed.
Pepsi also tested a packaging label for its products,
failed. In his "Rotlicht" project, for example, the
packaging material of a chip bag, a symbol can be printed that indicates the
warns consumers about unhealthy additives. "People have it
hated," says Vice President Brock Leach of the Pepsi Corporation.
"They said they were already aware that cheese nachos are not a healthy
are food. But they didn't want to have a
make people feel guilty," Leach is convinced.
Green dot as a signpost
Instead, Pepsi introduced the "Smartspot", a green dot that
with the help of a short explanation explicitly on healthy food
points out. One result of the learning process: "The attitude of customers is
that they would rather be convinced in one sentence why
it's good for them if they choose exactly this product." Pepsi wants
will only sell Smartspot products in schools in the future and will
nutrition initiatives at regional level and with regional partners.
partners. In addition, soft drinks manufacturers have recently
a voluntary reduction in the dense network of vending machines at
public schools. This has enabled them to develop a comprehensive
sales ban by the government.
The industry's self-regulatory authority, which has been in existence since 1974
existing Children's Advertising Review Unit (Caru), is to be established after
persistent criticism that it is merely a paper tiger, more tasks
get. The Caru guidelines state, for example, that snacks as such
must be labeled and not as a substitute for a meal.
may be advertised. Advergaming, i.e. the interweaving of
brands in computer games, is to be monitored.
Danger of lawsuits probably averted
Elisabeth Lascoutx, director of the authority, defends its effectiveness
and efficiency of Caru and emphasizes that of the 222
advertising cases that Caru has handled in the past two years.
97 percent by the producers in line with the requirements.
corrected in line with official recommendations. "All large companies
make every effort to comply with the rules," says Lascoutx. "In the
There were often problems in the 90s, but that has changed."
However, the Caru rules only apply to children up to the age of twelve.
Push-ups instead of games
Some companies even go so far as to encourage the kids,
to do more sport. On the website Kidnetic.com, sponsored by
Industry giants such as Hershey's, McDonald's, Kraft and others, are to be
children who are obsessed with games can get actively involved with video games. With
the game "The Kore", for example, the participants have to do push-ups,
"Batchacant" challenges them to speedwalk.
And Nickelodeon even switched off its program last autumn for
a whole day and instead asked the children: "Go outside
and plays!"
The fact that consumers will be able to file class actions against the
food industry could make an effort, however, is
unlikely. After two teenagers in New York a few years ago
had tried to assert claims against McDonald's because of their
numerous states began to levy obesity charges, so
so-called "cheeseburger laws" were introduced, which
protect food manufacturers from such lawsuits. In 20
states are already effective, with eleven more to follow soon.
Gerti Schön
