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About the review

Although there are contrasting views on the effect food promotion has on children’s diets and what action, if any, should be taken, the comprehensive review Does food promotion influence children? A systematic review of the evidence, published by the Agency in September 2003, concludes that advertising does affect children’s food choices and behaviour.

It also found that advertising doesn’t just affect which brands children choose but also the types of food they choose.

The review, carried out by a team led by Professor Gerard Hastings of the University of Strathclyde Centre for Social Marketing, looked at the extent and effects of food promotion by examining both published and unpublished research.

A thorough and systematic approach was used to examine this issue. This approach was 'borrowed' from medical science, where great care is needed to ensure that particular treatments are really safe and effective and that all relevant evidence has been included.

It is generally accepted that advertising affects purchasing behaviour, but this does not mean that it necessarily leads to the food-related health problems we see among today’s children. Establishing this link is difficult because many influences affect food choices, such as the eating habits of parents and physical activity levels.

Several studies have found a clear link between the amount of television watched and diet, obesity and cholesterol levels. But, again, the effect of food advertising can’t be isolated from other factors. One study did however show that the more food adverts children saw, the more snacks and calories they ate.

The review found that, although this sort of research can’t prove that food promotion is influencing children’s diets, many studies have found clear effects that are independent of factors such as parents’ eating habits or attitudes, and affect the type of foods chosen, not just the brands chosen.

In fact, the review suggests that the findings may actually underestimate the effect, because most research focuses on television and does not account for the cumulative effect of cross-media promotion and the indirect influences on, for example, parents’ behaviour.

This first UK systematic review of the research literature shows that:

• There is a lot of food advertising to children.
• The advertised diet is less healthy than the recommended one.
• Children enjoy and engage with food promotion.
• Food promotion is having an effect, particularly on children’s preferences, purchase behaviour and consumption.
• This effect is independent of other factors and operates at both a brand and category level.

This does not amount to proof of an effect, but the view of Professor Hastings and his colleagues was that this does provide sufficient evidence to conclude that an effect exists. And, therefore, that the debate should now shift to what action is needed, and specifically to how the power of commercial marketing can be used to bring about improvements in young people’s eating.