01/27/05

Balance Food Marketing to Children with Nutrition Education Messages, American Dietetic Association Advises Institute of Medicine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 27, 2005

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CHICAGO - Food marketing aimed at children occurs “in a virtual absence” of nutrition education messages that could help children learn about healthy eating and exercise and make healthy choices, according to the food and nutrition experts of the American Dietetic Association. Registered dietitian and ADA President Susan H. Laramee testified January 27 in Washington, D.C., before the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Food and Beverage Marketing and the Diets of Children and Youth.

Laramee cited a 1994 study by registered dietitians Mary Story and Krista Kotz that found over half of advertisements during children’s television programming were for food. This same study showed that almost half of foods advertised to children are in the ‘fats, oils and sweets’ food group.

“The problem is not that we are marketing foods to children but that we are marketing poor nutrition to children. And it appears children are listening,” Laramee said.

ADA’s consumer survey, Nutrition and You: Trends 2002, found TV is people’s primary source of nutrition information and the Internet is a growing source of nutrition information for young adults. The ADA Foundation’s 2003 Family Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey found many children make food-purchasing decisions for themselves and their parents do not always realize how much or what foods they are buying.

“Children report buying food from vending machines, snack bars, convenience stores, restaurants and grocery stores about twice as often as their parents report their children buying. The food messages sent to children are not being filtered through parents and thus have a direct impact on children’s eating behavior,” Laramee said.

“Perhaps the most worrisome issue surrounding food marketing to children is that it’s happening in a virtual absence of balanced and accurate nutrition education messages,” Laramee said.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, the food industry spends approximately $11 billion each year on food advertising while Team Nutrition, the nutrition education component of the Child Nutrition program, is funded at $10 million a year.

“Children would better be able to learn healthy behaviors and make healthy choices if they received more balanced messaging,” Laramee said. “Advertising needs to be used to encourage exercise, healthy choices and moderate portions.”

With nearly 65,000 members, the Chicago-based American Dietetic Association serves the public by promoting optimal health and well-being for all people. Visit ADA at http://www.eatright.org/.

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