Rudd Center Faults CFBAI in Report on TV Food Advertising to Young People

The Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has released a new brief
updating its annual report on trends in TV food advertising to young people.
Documenting changes “in the total number of food-related TV ads viewed by
children and adolescents from 2002 to 2013,” the brief concludes that despite
the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), “the total
number of food and beverage ads viewed by children has increased by 8%
and advertising to adolescents increased 25% since 2007.”

Although youth exposure to food-related TV ads apparently peaked in 2004,
Rudd Center alleges that the number of food- and beverage-related TV ads
viewed by children younger than age 12 has only increased since companies
adopted CFBAI in 2007. According to the brief, TV ads for fast-food restaurants
represented 23 percent of food-related ads viewed by children and 28 percent
of ads viewed by adolescents in 2013. In addition to fast food-related ads,
children and adolescents purportedly viewed the most TV commercials for
cereals, candy, other types of restaurants, prepared meals, and beverages.
Among other trends, Rudd Center noted that exposure to ads for crackers and
savory snacks “increased by over 50% for children and adolescents from 2011
to 2014, continuing increases in advertising to children from 2004.”

“[Y]ouths saw more ads for candy, carbonated beverages and fast food in
2013 than 2007, while ads for healthy product categories represented less
than 5% of food ads viewed,” opines the brief. “These findings demonstrate
that industry self-regulation has not resulted in meaningful improvements in
TV food advertising to youth.”

Issue 526