scholarly journals Exposure of Children to Unhealthy Food and Beverage Advertisements in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 3856
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Yamoah ◽  
Jeroen De Man ◽  
Sunday O. Onagbiye ◽  
Zandile J. Mchiza
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Food Advertising ◽  
Regulation System ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
The South ◽  
Food And Beverages ◽  
Persuasive Strategies ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Marketing To Children

Television (TV) is a powerful medium for marketing food and beverages. Food and beverage marketers tend to use this medium to target children with the hope that children will in turn influence their families’ food choices. No study has assessed the compliance of TV marketers with the South African Marketing to Children pledge since the enactment of the 2014 food advertising recommendations by the South African Department of Health and the Advertising Standards Authority. This study investigated the extent and nature of advertising of unhealthy versus healthy food and beverages to children in South African TV broadcasting channels. The date, time, type, frequency and target audience of food advertisements (ads) on four free-to-air South African TV channels were recorded and captured using a structured assessment guide. The presence of persuasive marketing techniques was also assessed. Unhealthy food and beverage advertising was recorded at a significantly higher rate compared with healthy food and beverages during the time frame when children were likely to be watching TV. Brand benefit claims, health claims and power strategies (e.g., advertising using cartoon characters and celebrated individuals) were used as persuasive strategies. These persuasive strategies were used more in unhealthy versus healthy food ads. The findings are in breach of the South African Marketing to Children pledge and suggest a failure of the industry self-regulation system. We recommend the introduction of monitored and enforced statutory regulations to ensure healthy TV food advertising space.

scholarly journals Application of science and technology by the South African food and beverage industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 114 (9/10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa-Claire Ronquest-Ross ◽  
Nick Vink ◽  
Gunnar O. Sigge
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Material Handling ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Capital Investments ◽  
The South ◽  
Food Manufacturing ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Manufacturing Technologies

Significant shifts in the type of foods consumed by South Africans have taken place since 1994 and packaged food and beverage innovation has accelerated since then. Globally, advances in science and technology have benefitted food processing and food manufacturing technologies and systems. Significant capital investments have been made by the South African food and beverage manufacturing industry (SAFBMI). It is, however, not clear which technology areas have received investments and for what purposes. The objective of this study was thus to understand how the SAFBMI has invested in and applied science and technology since 1994. Data were sourced from food and beverage trade magazines, dating from 1986 to 2012. Trends over the past 30 years were analysed to determine the application of science and technology. The findings suggest that the dairy, soft drinks and bakery sectors have been most active. The main advances were to upgrade manufacturing facilities and build new plants to increase capacity, deliver new products and improve efficiencies and product quality and safety. Investments to improve thermal processing and packaging were also noted. We found evidence of the application of commercially available new preservation technologies and a low level of experimentation with non-commercial novel technologies by the SAFBMI. South Africa appears to be keeping pace with advances in food manufacturing in automation, process control and quality and food safety practices, material handling, and centralised distribution centres with warehouse management systems. Continued investment in food science and technology research will ensure that the growing consumer demand for packaged foods and beverages is met.

scholarly journals Healthy Advertising Coming to Its Senses: The Effectiveness of Sensory Appeals in Healthy Food Advertising

Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Gudrun Roose ◽  
Lana Mulier
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Food Advertising ◽  
Advertising Effectiveness ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Underlying Process ◽  
Negative Thoughts ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Important Objective

With increasing obesity rates and the daily overload of unhealthy food appeals, an important objective for advertising today is to promote healthy food consumption. According to previous research, sensory food advertisements referring to multiple senses—a combination of visual (sight), tactile (touch) and olfactory (smell) cues—evoke more positive sensory thoughts and, therefore, higher taste perceptions than advertisements referring to a single sense (e.g., only taste cues). However, this research only focused on sensory advertising for unhealthy food. The current research investigates how sensory advertising can promote healthy food. While multiple-sense ads for unhealthy food were shown to be more effective than single-sense ads, we find that, for healthy food, single-sense ads increase taste perceptions and advertising effectiveness compared to multiple-sense ads. In two laboratory experiments, we show a different underlying process for this effect—that is, single-sense ads evoke fewer negative thoughts than multiple-sense ads, which mediates the effect of single-sense versus multiple-sense ads on taste perceptions and advertising effectiveness. Moreover, we show that these effects occur not only for verbal ads but, importantly, also for visual ads, which are omnipresent today. This article closes with implications for theory and suggestions for food marketers, ad executives, and public policy.

scholarly journals Food and Beverage Advertising to Children and Adolescents on Television: A Baseline Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1999
Author(s):  
Adena Pinto ◽  
Elise Pauzé ◽  
Rachel Mutata ◽  
Marie-Hélène Roy-Gagnon ◽  
Monique Potvin Kent
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Food Advertising ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Television Station ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Advertising To Children

The progressive rise in Canadian child obesity has paralleled trends in unhealthy food consumption. Industry has contributed to these trends through aggressive food and beverage marketing in various media and child settings. This study aimed to assess the extent of food and beverage advertising on television in Canada and compare the frequency of food advertising broadcasted during programs targeted to preschoolers, children, adolescents and adults. Annual advertising from 2018 was drawn from publicly available television program logs. Food and beverage advertisement rates and frequencies were compared by, target age group, television station, month and food category, using linear regression modelling and chi-square tests, in SAS version 9.4. Rates of food and beverage advertising differed significantly between the four target age groups, and varied significantly by television station and time of the year, in 2018. The proportion of advertisements for food and beverage products was significantly greater during preschooler-, child-, and adult-programming [5432 (54%), 142,451 (74%) and 2,886,628 (48%), respectively; p < 0.0001] compared to adolescent-programming [27,268 (42%)]. The proportion of advertisements promoting fast food was significantly greater among adolescent-programming [33,475 (51%), p < 0.0001] compared to other age groups. Legislation restricting food and beverage advertising is needed in Canada as current self-regulatory practices are failing to protect young people from unhealthy food advertising and its potential negative health effects.

scholarly journals Battling the bulge: Is a ban on children's food and beverage advertising consistent with freedom of expression?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Matthew Mazenier
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Free Expression ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Food And Beverages ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Advertising Restrictions

<p>Obesity is increasingly recognised by policymakers as a threat to public health and wellbeing. Despite obesity’s many causes, one commonly cited concern of public health advocates is the prevalence of food and beverage advertising. In particular, concerns have focused upon the targeting of unhealthy food and beverage advertising towards children. The current evidence reveals children’s vulnerability to product advertising and its consequential effects upon children’s food-related attitudes and behaviours. Though the evidence of a link between food advertising and obesity is equivocal, it is sufficient to make the case for a ban on the advertising of unhealthy food and beverages to children. However, any advertising restrictions upon commercial advertising must be consistent with the right to free expression under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. An analysis of the theoretical justifications underlying free speech protections suggests greater leeway should be afforded legislators to regulate in the face of a public health crisis. In spite of the New Zealand Government’s willingness to rely upon a self-regulatory framework for advertising regulation, the success of statutory advertising restrictions internationally illustrates the potential for a stronger approach. Though a lack of evidence precludes an objective assessment of the efficacy of the current self-regulatory scheme, the theoretical incompatibility of self-regulation with the achievement of public health goals underscores the need for government-led regulation. Ultimately, the growing threat posed by the obesity epidemic, the absence of reasonable alternatives to statutory restrictions and the narrow scope of a ban on the advertising of unhealthy food and beverages to children mean the suggested ban represents a demonstrably justified limit upon free expression.</p>

scholarly journals The targeting of preschoolers, children, adolescents and adults by the Canadian food and beverage industry on television: A cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adena Pinto ◽  
Elise Pauzé ◽  
Marie-Hélène Roy-Gagnon ◽  
Lise Dubois ◽  
Monique Potvin Kent
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Food Advertising ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Breakfast Cereal ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Television Programming ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Advertising To Children

Unhealthy food advertising can negatively impact children’s food preferences and nutritional health. In Canada, only companies participating in the self-regulatory Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CAI) commit to limiting unhealthy food advertising to children. We analyzed food advertising from 182 Canadian television stations in 2018. A principal component analysis explored patterns of advertising by 497 food companies and their targeting of preschoolers, children, adolescents, and adults. Chi-square analyses tested differences in the volume of advertising between target age groups by heavily advertising food companies and by CAI-participating and non-participating companies. In 2018, Maple Leaf Foods, Boulangerie St-Méthode, Exceldor Foods, Goodfood Market and Sobeys advertised most frequently during preschooler-programming. General Mills, Kellogg’s, the Topps Company, Parmalat and Post Foods advertised most frequently during child-programming, while Burger King, McDonald’s, General Mills, Kellogg’s and Wendy’s advertised most frequently during adolescent-programming. CAI-participating companies were responsible for over half of the food advertising broadcast during programs targeted to children (55%), while they accounted for less than half of the food advertising aired during programs targeting preschoolers (24%), adolescents (41%) and adults (42%). Statutory food advertising restrictions are needed to limit food companies’ targeting of young people on television in Canada. Novelty: •Advertising from fast food restaurant chains dominated television programming targeted to adolescents in 2018. •Advertising from breakfast cereal, candy, and snack manufacturers dominated television programming targeted at children in 2018. •Over 100 Canadian and transnational companies contravened broadcast restrictions on advertising to preschoolers in 2018.

scholarly journals Recent trends in energy and nutrient content of take-home food and beverage purchases in Great Britain: an analysis of 225 million food and beverage purchases over 6 years

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Berger ◽  
Steven Cummins ◽  
Richard D Smith ◽  
Laura Cornelsen
Keyword(s):  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Food And Beverages ◽  
Home Food ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionIn recent years, there has been an increased focus on developing a coherent obesity policy in the UK, which has led to various national policy initiatives aimed at improving population diet. We sought to determine whether there have been concurrent changes in trends in the nutrient content of take-home food and beverage purchases within this policy environment.MethodsWe used 2012–2017 data from the UK Kantar Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) panel, a nationally representative panel study of food and beverages bought by British households and brought into the home (n≈32 000 per year). Households used hand-held barcode scanners to report over 225 million product-level purchases of food and beverages, for which nutritional information was obtained. We estimated daily per capita purchases of energy and nutrients from 32 healthier and less healthy food groups defined using the nutrient profiling model used by the UK Department of Health.ResultsFrom 2012 to 2017, daily purchases of energy from food and beverages taken home decreased by 35.4 kcal (95% CI 25.5 to 45.2) per capita. This is explained by moderate decreases in the purchase of products with high contents in carbohydrate (−13.1 g (−14.4 to –11.8)) and sugar (−4.4 g (−5.1 to –3.7)), despite small increases in protein (1.7 g (1.4 to 2.1)) and saturated fat (0.4 g (0.2 to 0.6)). Food and beverage purchases exceeded daily reference intake values in fat (on average +6%), saturated fat (+43%), sugar (+16%) and protein (+28%) across all years. Although substitutions between individual food groups were large in energy and nutrients purchased, the heterogeneity of these patterns resulted in modest overall changes.ConclusionThere have been small declines in the purchase of less healthy food products, which translated to a small reduction of total energy and sugar purchases taken home. However, the rate of change needs to be accelerated in order to substantially reduce the health risks of poor diets, suggesting that more radical policies may be needed to attain larger population effects.

scholarly journals Overabundance of unhealthy food advertising targeted to children on Guatemalan television

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1331-1340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Lucia Cosenza-Quintana ◽  
Analí Morales-Juárez ◽  
Manuel Ramirez-Zea ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere ◽  
Maria F Kroker-Lobos
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Nutrient Profile ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Marketing To Children ◽  
First Time

Abstract To assess, for the first time, the extent (by hour channel) and nature (e.g. persuasive marketing techniques (PMT) and health-related claims) of unhealthy food advertisements (ads) targeted at children (3–11 years) on the six most-watched television (TV) channels in Guatemala. We recorded 864 h of video on the six most popular channels featuring children’s programmes. We classified food and beverage ads as permitted or non-permitted for marketing to children, according to the 2015 World Health Organisation (WHO) nutrient profile. Furthermore, we also analysed PMT (i.e. premium offers, promotional characters, brand benefit claims) and health-related claims. Most food ads (85%) were non-permitted to be marketed to children. Non-permitted food ads were six times more likely, either on weekdays or weekends, for all programme and channel categories compared with permitted food ads. There was no difference in the frequency of non-permitted food ads between peak and non-peak hours, weekend and weekdays or children and non-children programmes. PMT and health-related claims were present in all food ads (5.3 ± 1.9 techniques/claims per ad). There is a need to regulate food ads on TV channels featuring children’s programmes in Guatemala as a result of a high frequency of non-permitted food ads and extensive use of PMT together with health-related claims.

Children’s measured exposure to food and beverage advertising on television in a regulated environment, May 2011-2019

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Elise Pauzé ◽  
Lauren Remedios ◽  
Monique Potvin Kent
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Food Advertising ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Trends Over Time ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
Commercial Advertising ◽  
Children’S Exposure ◽  
Media Data

Abstract Objective: To quantify food/beverage advertising on television in Montreal (Quebec), to estimate and characterize children’s exposure, and to examine trends over time. Design: Television food advertising data were licensed for 19 food categories and 18 stations for May 2011, 2016 and 2019. The frequency of advertisements and the average number viewed per child aged 2-11 years overall, by food category and by station type (i.e. youth-appealing (n=3) and generalist (n=15) stations) was determined. The percent change in advertising and exposure between May 2011 and 2019 was calculated. Setting: Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Participants: This study used media data and did not directly involve human participants. Results: The total number of television advertisements increased by 11% between May 2011 (n=41,084) and May 2019 (n=45,406) however exposure to food/beverage advertisements decreased by 53%, going from 226 ads/child in May 2011 to 107 ads/child in May 2019. Overall, the most advertised food categories in both May 2011 and 2019 were fast food (29.8% and 39.2%, respectively) followed by chocolate (14.2%) in 2011 and savory snacks (9.7%) in 2019. In May 2019, children were predominantly exposed to unhealthy food categories such as fast food (41.3% of exposure), savory snacks (7.5%), chocolate (5.0%) and regular soft drinks (4.5%), and most (89.3%) of their total exposure occurred on generalist television stations. Conclusion: Despite Quebec’s restrictions on commercial advertising directed to children under 13 years, Quebecois children are still frequently exposed to unhealthy food advertising on television. Government should tighten restrictions to protect children from this exposure.

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