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CHILDREN today are seeing fewer advertisements for beverages, foods and restaurants, and those they do see are shifting to more healthful choices, according to Mary Sophos, senior vice president and chief government affairs officer of the Grocery Manufacturers Assn. (GMA).
GMA and its members are committed to helping "arrest and reverse obesity trends," and, to this end, are continuing to develop a greater range of nutritious products and market them "in responsible ways that promote healthy lifestyles," she said in a presentation to a forum of the Federal Trade Commission.
She cited a recent study by Georgetown Economic Services that found that children 2-11 years old and teens 12-17 years old are watching fewer advertisements on television that push beverages, foods and restaurants, and specifically:
* Children watched 31% fewer such ads on children's programming from 2004 to 2008;
* Children are, in fact, viewing fewer such ads on television at all times, with the number children see declining 15% from 2004 to 2008 and the number of all other ads children see increasing 7%;
* Since 1994, the number of such ads children see on television has declined 27%, and
* Children are seeing fewer ads on kids' programming and all television for sodas, candy bars, cookies, gum, mints, frozen pizzas, pancakes and waffles and are seeing more ads for fruits and vegetables.
Over the last several years, beverage and food manufacturers have voluntarily changed advertising and marketing practices, introduced or reformulated more than 10,000 products to be more healthful and invested in initiatives that promote increased physical activity and nutrition education, Sophos said.
GMA and many of its members belong to the Health Weight Commitment Foundation. |
