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Abstract

Amid growing global concerns about childhood overweight and obesity, more attention is turning to the contribution of advertising and marketing of food and beverages that significantly influences children�s food preferences and consumption. Most of the foods and beverages marketed to children are high in fat, salt, sugar and calories, and contribute to poor quality diets, high calorie intake, and excessive weight gain. Around the world, children and youth are surrounded by food and beverage marketing in schools and restaurants, in stores, on the street, on television, in print and, increasingly, via sophisticated, multi-platform and immersive tactics that bypass parental influence and target children through their mobile devices, popular web sites and social marketing platforms, and other types of digital media. The health implications of this ubiquitous marketing are deeply concerning, especially since young people at highest risk for obesity and related diseases are subject to the most aggressive targeting. The worldwide explosion in digital marketing techniques is especially problematic, since children are especially vulnerable to these strategies, and less able to recognize them as true marketing. What will it take to end the immersive and aggressive marketing that targets our children and harms their health? During this session we will identify examples of how marketers are targeting children in countries around the world and discuss the most promising approaches that researchers, public health advocates, practitioners, policy makers, and community leaders are taking to improve children�s food marketing environments.

Biography

Email: mejia@bmsg.org