Dive Brief:
- Researchers have found that ads for sugary sodas, snacks, and calorie-laden restaurant foods disproportionately target black and Hispanic children.
- Black children and teens are exposed to 70% more food-related TV ads than Caucasian kids are, including double the TV ads for candy, sugary drinks, and snacks, says the group at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut, the African-American Collaborative Obesity Research Network, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
- Three brands, 7 Up, Kraft Mayonnaise, and Fuze Iced Tea, ran many advertisements on Spanish-language TV channels and none on English-language channels.
Dive Insight:
The researchers believe their report, "confirms what public health experts have suspected for years — that advertisers of junk foods find a lucrative audience among minorities" and also explains the greater likelihood that these minority children will be obese as compared to Caucasian children, according to NBC News.
However, the researchers do admit that it is difficult to tie advertising for food products directly to obesity. "They're careful not to blame companies doing what they need to do to stay afloat — advertise and try to sell products," particularly to fast-growing markets, such as the Hispanic community, NBC News reported.
"Due to their greater exposure to media and food marketing, proposals to reduce unhealthy food marketing to youth and/or increase marketing of nutritious foods would also greatly benefit black and Hispanic youth. In addition, industry pledges to increase marketing of healthy products must include expansion of advertising in black- and Hispanic-targeted media, where healthier categories are currently significantly underrepresented," researchers concluded in their report.