Rudd Center Publishes Report on Cereal Marketing to Children

Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has issued a report claiming that cereal companies “have improved the nutritional quality of most cereals marketed directly to children, but they have also increased advertising to children for many of their least nutritious products.” Titled Cereal F.A.C.T.S. Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score, the report analyzes the nutritional quality of more than 100 brands and nearly 300 individual varieties of cereal marketed to children, families and adults while examining industry advertising on TV, the Internet and social media sites.

According to the report, while nutritional quality improved for 22 cereal brands advertised to children in both 2008 and 2011, total media spending to promote child-targeted cereals increased by 34 percent during that same time period. Among its findings, the report concludes that (i) “Children viewed fewer TV ads for 7 of 14 child-targeted brands, including Corn Pops and Honeycomb”; (ii) “Children viewed more TV ads for the remaining seven child-targeted brands, including Reese’s Puffs, Froot Loops, and Pebbles”; (iii) “Post launched a new Pebbles advergame website, and General Mills launched new sites for Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch”; (iv) “Kellogg nearly doubled banner advertising on children’s websites, such as Nickelodeon.com and Neopets.com, for its child-targeted brands. General Mills also increased banner advertising for four child-targeted brands, including Honey Nut Cheerios and Lucky Charms”; and (v) “Kellogg introduced the first food company advergame for mobile phones and tablets targeted to children for Apple Jacks.”

The study concluded that even though companies “offer more nutritious
and lower-sugar cereals for children, like regular Cheerios and Frosted
Mini-Wheats,” those cereals are marketed to parents, not children. “While
cereal companies have made small improvements to the nutrition of their
child-targeted cereals, these cereals are still far worse than the products they
market to adults,” said co-author Marlene Schwartz. “They have 56 percent
more sugar, half as much fiber, and 50 percent more sodium. The companies
know how to make a range of good-tasting cereals that aren’t loaded with
sugar and salt. Why can’t they help parents out and market these directly to
children instead?” See Yale News, June 22, 2012.