Abstract
Background
Children are frequently exposed to marketing on food packaging. This study evaluated the presence, type and power of child-appealing marketing and compared the nutritional quality of child-appealing vs. non-child-appealing Canadian packaged foods and examined the relationship between nutrient composition and marketing power.
Methods
Child-relevant packaged foods (n = 5,850) were sampled from the Food Label Information Program 2017 database. The presence and power (# of techniques displayed) of child-appealing marketing were identified. Fisher’s Exact test compared the proportion of products exceeding Health Canada’s nutrient thresholds for advertising restrictions and Mann Whitney U tests compared nutrient composition between products with child- /non-child-appealing packaging. Pearson’s correlation analyzed the relationship between nutrient composition and marketing power.
Results
13% (746/5850) of products displayed child-appealing marketing; the techniques used, and the power of the marketing varied (x¯ 2.2 techniques; range: 0–11). More products with child-appealing packaging than with non-child appealing packaging exceeded Health Canada’s thresholds (98% vs. 94%; p < .001). Products with child-appealing packaging (vs. non-child-appealing) were higher in total sugars (median: 14.7 vs. 9 g/RA; p < .001) and free sugars (11.5 vs. 6.2 g/RA; p < .001), but lower in all other nutrients. There was weak overall correlation between marketing power and nutrient levels. Results varied by nutrient and food category.
Conclusions
Unhealthy products with powerful child-appealing marketing displayed on package are prevalent in the food supply. Implementing marketing restrictions that protect children should be a priority.
Funder
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Reference47 articles.
1. Building Momentum;World Cancer Research Fund International;: lessons on implementing robust restrictions of food and non-alcoholic beverage marketing to children,2020
2. A systematic review of persuasive marketing techniques to promote food to children on television. Obesity reviews;G Jenkin;an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity,2014
3. Influence of unhealthy food and beverage marketing on children’s dietary intake and preference: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Obesity reviews;B Sadeghirad;: an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity,2016
4. Advertising as a cue to consume: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of acute exposure to unhealthy food and nonalcoholic beverage advertising on intake in children and adults;EJ Boyland;The American journal of clinical nutrition,2016
5. Global benchmarking of children’s exposure to television advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages across 22 countries;B Kelly;Obesity Reviews,2019