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: Huffington Post on August 08, 2011
Columnist Christina Pirello is skeptical about McDonald's new Happy Meal: She argues that the Happy Meal makeover is a public relations stunt and points out that the majority of the chain's menu is still "excessively large, salty, fatty, and filled with ingredients that should terrify us."Source: New York Post on August 08, 2011
President of Korean-American Grocers Association predicts that in 10 years, there will be no Korean groceries in New York City, contrasted to the 2,500 stores in 1991. Why? The reporter points to gentrification in NYC resulting in high pressures on immigrant communities.Source: QSR Magazine on August 08, 2011
Domino's has brought back its iconic "Noid" mascot for a limited-time Facebook promotion. Users who "like" Domino's Facebook page can play an arcade game for a chance to win free pizza gift cards.Source: PR Newswire on August 08, 2011
The California Milk Processor board is promoting a contest that will allow California high schools that promote breakfast with milk to win money for student activities.Source: QSR Magazine on August 08, 2011
McDonald's newest tie-in with the movie The Smurfs encourages kids to buy Apple Dippers with their Happy Meals. The Dipper packages are marked with codes that kids can enter online to plant a tree. The promotion was structured to "engage kids" and forge "direct connections" with the brand.Source: MediaPost on August 08, 2011
7-Eleven, Twix, and Skittles are among the sponsors of WWE's popular SummerSlam event.Source: Food Politics on August 07, 2011
Should public health professionals support McDonald's newly reformulated Happy Meals as "baby steps" in the right direction, in the hope that more changes will follow? Marion Nestle argues that the new meals are merely part of a calculated effort on McDonald's part to prevent more communities from implementing nutrition standards.Source: HispanicRetail360.com on August 05, 2011
Coca-Cola, the Greater Houston Retailers Association and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund partner to provide $30,000 in scholarships to 17 Latino students. As part of the campaign to increase awareness of the program, GHRA and Coca-Cola created "bilingual, point-of-sale signage and product displays" in 1,500 locations throughout Houston.Source: The Washington Times on August 05, 2011
Beth Johnson, head of industry consulting group Food Directions, objects to the Interagency Working Group's food marketing recommendations. She charges that these guidelines are too restrictive and would limit "healthy" foods. She argues that the childhood obesity crisis should be fought by "promoting education and increasing physical activity," not by "[giving] meal-time decision making ... to government."Source: MediaPost on August 05, 2011
Parks and Recreation star Rob Lowe is directing a comedy-horror film for Butterfinger that is designed to generate social media buzz. The film, which plays off Butterfinger's famous tagline, is linked with a Facebook sweepstakes, Comic-Con appearances, and other efforts to engage fans.
