Marketing has a profound affect on the foods we eat and the beverages we drink, yet most of that marketing is for products we should avoid. BMSG monitors the media to help keep advocates informed of the tactics food and beverage companies use to target children, communities of color, and other groups that are particularly susceptible to the health harms these products cause. Below are archives of our monitoring.
Source: Los Angeles Times on December 26, 2011
Kraft encourages adult customers to undergo a "facial screening" at a vending machine and in return they get a free Jell-O sample. The person either texts a code or swipes a bar code with a smartphone and may then select one of six flavors.Source: Peninsula Press on December 23, 2011
On December 1, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to prohibit fast food restaurants from using toys to market high-calorie meals to kids. While Jack in the Box has discontinued its toy incentive nationwide, McDonald's is getting around it by encouraging customers to donate 10 cents to Ronald McDonald House Charities and get a toy with a Happy Meal in return.Source: Warc on December 22, 2011
Wendy's surpasses Burger King as the number 2 hamburger chain in the United States. McDonald's is still the overwhelming number 1.Source: Huffington Post on December 21, 2011
A General Mills representative writes that the two themes in the new line of products are "the growing influence of multicultural consumers on American taste preferences and consumers' desires to either add or avoid certain ingredients in their diets." For instance, the company recently launched "Dulce de Leche Cheerios." In a piece in the Huffington Post, consumers reacted to the new product, some more critically than others. Associate editor at Latino Voices said, "As a fan of dulce de leche, this offends me."Source: The Coca-Cola Company on December 21, 2011
Coca-Cola partners with Toys for Tots and uses the opportunity to promote its "Arctic Home" campaign that helps protect polar bear's Artic habitat. The soda giant will donate Arctic-themed gifts to local Toys for Tots chapters in major cities across the U.S.Source: The Guardian on December 21, 2011
A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests that imposing a 10% tax on sugary drinks would help address obesity by cutting consumption of sugary drinks.Source: Food Politics on December 21, 2011
Cereal companies become creative on how to market cereals to parents and children. Strategies include using "natural" and "whole grain" health claims and direct marketing to children.Source: PR Newswire on December 21, 2011
The First Nations Development Institute has received $500,000 from Walmart in the form of a grant to help the Institute develop or expand local food systems. The president of the Institute believes that the partnership will help Native communities gain control of local food systems and "provide healthier foods to tribal members." Advocates may want to monitor this story to see what, if any, commentary or analysis it produces.Source: Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group on December 20, 2011
Food and media companies donated generously to Pennsylvania's members of Congress who last summer sent a letter to oppose the government's proposed food-marketing guidelines. For instance, the National Restaurant Association gave $153,500 and an additional $403,700 to a group of 19 Republican senators who also signed a letter in July opposing the guidelines.Source: NYDailyNews.com on December 20, 2011
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that the most powerful incentive that led teenagers to purchase fewer sugary drinks was a calorie conversion to exercise minutes. "For example, a 250-calorie can of soda read that it would take 50 minutes of running to burn off the calorie content."
