Child-targeted food products promoting unhealthy food to kids: study
New research finds that child-targeted food products, specifically those featuring cartoons on its packaging, are promoting unhealthy food choices to children in Canada.
The research, funded by Heart & Stroke, identified over 2,700 child-targeted food products featuring cartoon appeals across a 16-store audit.
“These cartoon appeals appeared across every food category and the [...] majority were ultra-processed foods, with candy, chocolate, cereal, cookies and fruit snacks topping the list. One percent of the products were fresh vegetables or fruit,” notes a press release.
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Examining the use of media characters was also part of the study. It found kids could see up to 54 products with media characters in one store visit.
"This new research shows the pervasive use of child-friendly cartoons to sell foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat to kids," says Dr. Charlene Elliott, the University of Calgary communications professor who led the study. "This matters because the evidence clearly shows that cartoon appeals are a powerful way to target children, impacting their food preferences and the amount they pester their parents for these products."
In 2023, Health Canada released nutrition criteria to support proposed restrictions on marketing food to children. Using these criteria, the study assessed the identified products and found that over 92% of those featuring child-friendly cartoons on their packaging exceeded the nutrient thresholds outlined in Health Canada's proposed guidelines for advertising to children.
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"These results show that marketing to kids has become part of the landscape – it's everywhere – and most of the foods wouldn't even meet Health Canada's proposed nutrition criteria for advertising to kids," Elliott says.
