![]() Parents can only say no and battle against this for so long without giving in.įirst, the government needs to support parents by stepping in and shielding children from excessive advertising. But all this good parenting is directly undermined by the efforts of advertisers.įood companies have millions of dollars invested in advertising and in 2010, the Australian food industry spent more than $400 million on marketing, making it the seventh-largest advertising industry. Parents can restrict the level of television their children watch, provide them with healthy food choices and make sure they get plenty of exercise. Yes, parents are responsible for the healthy diet of their children. The government and supermarkets have a role to play in reducing pester power. So when they hear that small voice asking, nagging – and sometimes screaming – for something, it’s often easier to give in. Most just want to get on with their shopping as quickly as they can. No parent wants to be the one receiving looks of disdain as their three-year-old throws a tantrum at the checkout when they’re not allowed a lollipop. Kids see these well-known cartoon characters and movie tie-ins on the TV screen at home and recognise the same character on a sugary drink or chocolate. The food industry has been very clever to use and create well-known characters to promote food products to children. We know that food marketing successfully influences children – their food preferences, the food they eat and which foods they pester their parents to buy. ![]() Unsurprisingly, what they were most frequently pestered for were not healthy foods but chocolates and confectionery.įood marketing is nothing new, but marketing techniques have become more sophisticated. Nearly three-quarters of the parents in the study said they were pestered by their children into buying food, and of those who were pestered, 70% gave in and bought at least one food item. Given that 63% of Australian adults are already overweight or obese, it’s alarming that future generations are heading into adulthood at a higher risk of developing obesity-related illnesses.Ī study by Cancer Council NSW and the University of Newcastle, published in the journal Health Promotion International, confirms just how tough it is for parents to stand up to pester power. And it’s usually well-known food companies with big advertising budgets that can afford to market this way.īecause these marketing techniques occur at the point of sale, there’s a much stronger chance they’ll lead to a successful sale than if a child sees an advertisement for junk food in their own home.Ĭurrently, almost a quarter of Australian children are overweight or obese, and a high proportion of them will grow up to be overweight or obese adults. There are myriad techniques that entice shoppers and appeal to children when visiting the supermarket: promotional signs at eye level, confectionery within easy reach at the checkout, and colourful packages with cute characters and movie tie-ins. While we think of junk food marketing as something that happens during television commercial breaks or on massive billboard signs, supermarkets are yet another advertising frontier for food companies. ![]()
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