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Study finds loophole in self-regulation of junk food ads
There’s a gaping loophole in a voluntarily program that’s aimed at limiting junk food ads on children’s television, according to researchers at Yale University.
The criteria set by business organizations are too narrow to effectively shield children and teenagers from being bombarded with junk food ads, according to research by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.
The Better Business Bureau’s Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) allows companies to self-regulate and pledge to limit showing off their least nutritious products during programs geared toward children. To participate in the CFBAI, companies must promise to curb the number of junk food ads during TV shows where children are estimated to be more than 35 percent of the audience.
“This study shows that companies' definition of child-directed programming is quite narrow," said Jennifer Harris, the study’s lead author. "It allows them to continue to advertise their least nutritious products during programs that do not qualify as child-directed according to their criteria but that clearly appeal to children—programs like ‘Hannah Montana’ and ‘Shrek the Halls’ holiday special.”
The six categories of unhealthy foods — “candy, sweet snacks, crackers and savory snacks, carbonated beverages, fast food and other restaurants” — accounted for 78 percent of the total amount of all food ads seen by children, the study says.
