Marketing Sugary Drinks to Youth
By:
NWHF Staff
| Posted on: October 31st, 2011
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Categories:
Disparities •
Food & Nutrition •
Public Health
A new study shows that young people are exposed to an increasing amount of marketing for sugary drinks, including sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit drinks.
From 2008 to 2010, children’s and teens’ exposure to full-calorie soda ads on TV doubled. The research was produced by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University. A summary of Sugary Drink FACTS (Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score) can be found here and the full 231-page report here.
While the beverage industry has pledged to reduce the marketing of sugary drinks to children, this hasn’t happened, especially in the case of black and Hispanic youth.
Higher exposure to this marketing is significantly associated with increased consumption of sugary drinks.
In a press release, co-author Kelly Brownell, director and co-founder of the Rudd Center, said, “Our results clearly show that the beverage industry’s self-regulatory pledges are not working. Children are seeing more, not less marketing, for drinks that increase the risk for serious diseases.”
Sugary drinks remain the greatest source of added sugars in the American diet and the leading source of calories in teenagers’ diets.
Companies are using more sophisticated marketing tactics to reach youth, including the use of social media such as Facebook and YouTube. Some energy drinks, sports drinks, and “fruit drinks” (not 100% juice), are marketed as healthy alternatives, but these drinks are often very high in calories and have little or no nutritional benefits.
The report recommends that beverage companies:
- Stop targeting teens with marketing for sugary drinks or caffeinated products
- Remove nutrition-related claims from high-sugar products
- Develop products for children with less added sugar and no artificial ingredients
- Make nutrition and ingredient information more easily accessible
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The natural fruit juices are still the best for the kids. Like on the cigarette packs, on the Coca-Cola or Pepsi or other known unhealthy products should be the notice that could harm your health.