The Importance Of Marketing Food To Children

The food Industry is a multibillion part of the American economy responsible for feeding over three hundred million Americans each year. With more and more focus on making profits rather than fulfilling the health needs of Americans, increased advertising unhealthy, profit-making foods, towards children and teens. Anna Leppa believes that the food industry’s targeted marketing is responsible for the new outbreak of diet-related illnesses in children and teens. The growing problem of obesity and foodborne illnesses in children is only compounded by the use of targeted advertising of food to market directly to children. Anna Lappe is well known author, activist, and project director of the Food MythBusters. In her TED talk entitled Marketing Food to Children, she takes on the billion-dollar business of marketing junk food, soda, and fast food to children and teens. The food industry spends two billion dollars year to market directly to children, and Anna believes this increased marketing is to blame for the surge of diet-related illnesses in children and teens. It’s shocking to know that conditions not normally …show more content…
The average child that watches an average amount of television will see four thousand six hundred ads for unhealthy foods. Just seeing an advertisement for a product increases the likelihood that a person will purchase a product because they saw it on television. The food industry is also starting to build brand loyalty through positive association between products and cartoon characters. Children will want their parents to purchase a product because they associate with a positive character. Advertisers for food products are now even getting into schools and partnering with other organizations to bring awareness to their brand. Many states are now passing laws to ban the advertisement of unhealthy foods in public schools but it’s still out of control