The range of food promotion
Over recent years, television has been the primary medium used for advertising food to children in the UK, making up three-quarters of advertising spend.
Much of this TV advertising promotes foods that may be high in fat, sugar and salt, the so-called 'Big Four' of breakfast cereals, soft drinks, confectionery and savoury snacks. With the growth in advertising for fast-food outlets over the past ten years, the Big Four has today become the Big Five.
About half the adverts during children's programmes were for food, according to a 2001 report by Sustain. This compares to a fifth during adult programmes. And more than 95% of the foods advertised to children were assessed by Sustain to be high in fat, sugar or salt.
The advertised diet does not reflect the healthy balanced diet recommended for growing children. See the link below to our eatwell website for advice on healthy eating for young children.
But food promotion is not just about TV advertising. Although TV ads have dominated this sector, promotion today is multi-faceted, including print and radio, SMS text messaging, celebrity endorsements, point-of-sale promotions and voucher schemes, often supported by powerful branding.
Here are some examples of the range of food promotion activity to which children may be exposed.
TV and commercial radio advertising
- Traditional advertising between programmes
- Sponsorship of a particular programme – e.g. ‘run-in’ adverts at the beginning and end of the programme. Further ‘spin-off’ advertising on product labelling may also be involved.
Non-broadcast advertising
- Billboard and other ‘outdoor’ advertising
- Adverts in children’s magazines and comics (which may be designed to imitate stories or features rather than adverts)
New media
- ‘Pop-up’ internet adverts
- Websites linked to food products, which may include games and competitions
- SMS text messaging – e.g. competitions entered by sending a text message or receiving messages when near a food outlet
Celebrity endorsements (cartoon characters, pop groups, sporting stars)
- Celebrities appearing in adverts in a variety of media
- Sponsorship of events – e.g. pop concerts, sporting events
- Team sponsorship – e.g. Sheffield Wednesday’s football shirts advertised Chupa Chups lollipops; the England football team is sponsored by both McDonald’s and Coca-Cola
Sponsorship of educational materials
- Worksheets and books that are created by and include the logos of food companies
Voucher schemes and other loyalty schemes
- Schemes that are based on schools’ participation – e.g. Cadbury Get Active, Walkers crisps books for schools
Linking foods with toys and play
- Give-aways and 'free gifts' – e.g. toys with McDonald's Happy Meals; Kinder eggs containing toys; trading cards, figurines
- Where the food's packaging becomes a toy, or where the way in which the food is consumed has an element of novelty or play – e.g. confectionery sprayed or rolled onto the tongue, yoghurt squirted out of a tube-like packet
In-store promotions
- Point-of-sale displays and advertising; 'buy one get one free' etc, displaying confectionery next to supermarket checkouts
Packaging promotions
- Games, colouring-in, health claims, competitions, etc. featured on packaging
- Foods packaged in a convenient way – e.g. 'ideal for school lunchboxes', assortments, multi-packs, meal packs
Contracts for vending machines in schools, youth clubs, etc.
More advice from our eatwell website
