Proposed Federal Standards for Foods Marketed to Children Praised by CSPI

According to CSPI research, from before the self-regulatory program was in place, in 2005, to after, in 2009, ads for foods of poor nutritional quality decreased only slightly on Nickelodeon, the most popular children’s television station—from 88 percent to 79 percent of food ads.

4/29/2011 --- The Center for Science in the Public Interest praised as “strong and sensible” the nutrition and marketing standards proposed by the Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children and urged food and entertainment companies to adopt the standards.

The Interagency Working Group, comprised of officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was tasked by Congress to develop a set of voluntary standards for food marketing to children under 17. The Working Group was required by a law championed by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and CSPI.

“A key weakness of the current self-regulatory approach to food marketing to children is that each company has its own strategically tailored standards,” said Margo G. Wootan, director of nutrition policy at CSPI. “While overall the standards look fairly similar, many have loopholes, like weak or no sodium standards for fast-food companies and weak sugar standards for cereal marketers.”

In the past few years, a number of food and entertainment companies have announced policies on food marketing to children independently or through the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. However, several studies show that those self-regulatory efforts are not having the desired impact. For instance, according to CSPI research, from before the self-regulatory program was in place, in 2005, to after, in 2009, ads for foods of poor nutritional quality decreased only slightly on Nickelodeon, the most popular children’s television station from 88 percent to 79 percent of food ads.

“Companies’ policies aren’t making enough of a difference,” said Wootan. “If companies are serious about addressing marketing to children, they‘ll agree to follow the proposed national marketing standards.”

Three decades ago, when the Federal Trade Commission first considered protecting children’s health by restricting junk-food ads on children’s television, Congress stepped in to restrict the agency’s authority. That proved to be a mistake, according to CSPI, because the advertising continued unabated and children today are now three times more likely to be overweight or obese as they were then.

Food companies spend approximately $2 billion a year on marketing foods and beverages to children, mostly for foods high in calories, fats, sugars, and sodium, and low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and key nutrients.

Curbing food marketing aimed at children is one of five major goals of Food Day, a new grassroots mobilization launched by CSPI. Led by honorary co-chairs Senator Harkin and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Food Day will be October 24.

Meanwhile The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) announced the results of new research conducted by Georgetown Economic Services that shows the average number of food and beverage advertisements that children 2 to 11 viewed on children’s programming fell by 50 percent between 2004 and 2010.

“In recent years, food and beverage companies have adopted strict nutrition standards that have fundamentally changed the advertising landscape,” said Pamela G. Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. “Since 2005, there has been a significant decrease in overall food and beverage advertising on children’s programs, coupled with a dramatic increase in ads featuring healthier product choices and healthy lifestyle messages. These changes would not have taken place without the leadership and commitment demonstrated by America’s food and beverage companies.”

The research was conducted by Georgetown Economic Services and sponsored by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Association of National Advertisers.

In addition, GES found a dramatic change in the composition of food and beverage advertisements viewed on children’s programming.

Between 2004 and 2010:
• Advertisements for cookies fell by 99%
• Advertisements for soft drinks fell by 96% and advertisements for fruit and vegetables juices increased by 199%
• Advertisements for gum and mints fell by nearly 100% and advertisements for candy fell by 68%
• Advertisements for snack bars fell by nearly 100% and advertisements for all snacks fell by 71%
• Advertisements for frozen and refrigerated pizza fell by 95% and advertisements for breads, pastries, waffles and pancakes fell by nearly 100%

Many of the changes in advertising on children's programming can be attributed to the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), a self-regulatory program that is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus and that was created in response to FTC and IOM reports in 2005.

Under the CFBAI, 17 food and beverage companies apply science-based nutrition standards to marketing viewed by children, including television advertising and digital media. CFBAI was launched in 2006.

“The advertising community has actively responded to the obesity challenge in the United States and this study once again confirms that food and beverage advertising directed to children under 12 has trended significantly downwards,” said Bob Liodice, president and CEO of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). “In addition, food options that provide low-fat, low-sodium and low-calorie choices have dramatically increased.”

In recent years, food and beverage manufacturers have changed the recipes of more than 20,000 products to reduce calories, sodium, sugar and fat. In addition, food manufacturers and retailers recently announced a commitment to place nutrition information on the front of food packages.