Kids targeted with junk food through new media

Which? magazine found that 88% of consumers believe food companies should take more responsibility when it comes to advertising to the under 12s. Last July, restrictions were put in place to prevent advertising that promotes foods high in fat, salt and sugar from targeting young children using cartoon characters, film tie-ins, celebrity endorsements and fun freebies. 'Food Fables' a report from Which? shows that although companies have improved such as Weetabix and fast-food chain KFC, others are still lagging behind. The report showed that mobile marketing has seen a rise with Kellogg's encouraging people to text to receive a free ringtone as part of their zookeeper competition on high sugar cereals. Coca Cola also introduced a Fanta branded mobile phone game, sent to all entrants of the 'Want it, Win it' competition. Online activity was also prominent with food companies utilising popular websites such as BEBO, Facebook, You Tube and ClubdTV to reach children. Cadbury websites included links to child-focused games and competitions, and Mars and PepsiCo developed more sophisticated 'cool' brand sites, often linking promotions with popular social networking sites. Sue Davies, Chief Policy Adviser, Which? said: "We're not against treats and we're not against marketing, but we are against irresponsible company practices and hollow company commitments. You just have to walk around any supermarket to see the wealth of cartoon characters persuading children to pick the less healthy option. "Tackling the obesity problem demands action in many areas to make healthy choices easier. It's time all food companies started to fully play their part and focused their vast array of creative and persuasive marketing techniques on selling healthier foods to children instead of less healthy ones." Julian Hunt , Food and Drink Federation Director of Communications hit back at the report calling it sloppy and described it as lacking any real substance: " Which? also fails to acknowledge the fact that the UK now has some of the strictest advertising regulations in the world, within which food companies are clearly operating to both the spirit and the letter of the law. "Our members are going even further than these rules – introducing voluntary measures that are radically changing the marketing landscape here in the UK. On top of these changes, we are making a real difference to the health of the nation through our efforts to improve product recipes, develop healthier options and introduce clearer nutrition labelling." In January 2008, the Advertising Standards Authority published the findings of its Food and Soft Drink Advertising Survey 2007, which revealed that 99.2% of ads surveyed were compliant with all aspects of the advertising codes.