advertising advocacy *headdesk* moment

[maelorin]

Call to beef up new junk food ad code
Julian Lee Marketing Reporter (July 17, 2006)

A NEW code regulating the marketing of junk food will not stop children becoming obese, the Australian Consumers' Association says. It has repeated its call for the Federal Government to step in and legislate.

*headdesk*

Regulations and laws can't make people lose weight.

"We don't believe that a voluntary code is going to provide adequate protection for children from advertising of unhealthy foods that may influence their food preferences and the food they eat, which in turn will impact on diet and nutrition and have the potential to contribute to overweight [sic] and obesity," the association's food policy officer, Clare Hughes, said.

And I don't believe you can legislate 'protection' of this kind into existence.

We need to change the priorities of the keepers-of-the-purse-strings. Education ought to come before corporate handouts, for example.

Children's 'food preferences'? Perhaps some people ought to be reminded that they're the adults. They're responsible for making decisions on behalf of the children in their care ...

You can't legislate maturity into existence.

Comments

[vixstar.livejournal.com]

face --> desk.

[velvetink.livejournal.com]

hummm the health nazi's again. Actually part of the problem is that parents are so torn about discipline and afraid of giving discipline that when they go out and kids whine and throw themselves down on the ground if you don't buy them a big mac, they give in instead of either saying no or giving a quick smack. No one wants to be accused of abuse anymore so there is no discipline at all.

[velvetink.livejournal.com]

and another thing, where can you buy a normal healty sandwich for under like $6-$9. There is a subway and one other healthy type sandwich bar in our mall, and the cheapest sandwich is $8 and the healthy drinks cost more too. Now if you have a couple of kids to feed it's way cheaper getting a kids mac and coke.

Howard in forcing small business's to go broke with the new laws has put the only people selling healthy food out of reach for the masses. That's another reason why people are eating junk. Good stuff just isn't financially viable. Look at the prices of fresh vegies. Way dearer than any other kind.

[verdigriis.livejournal.com]

Having read some of the Public Health research on obesity, I can see why this is an issue. The jury is still out on whether parents give in to the demands of children (marketers call this "pester power"), but there is plenty of evidence to show that children are much more susceptible to advertising than adults. Showing them adds for unhealthy food shapes their preferences - sometimes more than their parents do. Add to that friends who have also watched the adds, and whose parents don't bother teaching them healthy habits, and parents don't stand much chance of teaching them good eating habits. Generally speaking, advertising to children is a very dodgy area. I have read some pretty compelling arguments for banning advertising alltogether during children's TV programs.

To be clear, they're not trying to make children lose weight, they're trying to prevent children from being brainwashed into eating unhealthily.

The other issue is that people form preferences and brand loyalties early in life, which they may begin to express later. So your parents may not let you have unhealthy food, but the moment you can choose for yourself, you rush to the unhealthy yet "cool" option. It really does work - there's a reason companies pay so much for advertising. It's certainly a mainstay of alcohol and cigarette advertising - both things which are marketed to teenagers in the hope that they'll buy them when they're 18.

As for the legislation regarding health/obesity, sure, on an individual level it seems wierd. We all believe we aren't influenced by advertising, and that it's a personal choice to lose weight or not. But again, the population statistics disaggree, and health problems related to unfitness and obesity (note that unfittness is a much bigger risk than obesity BTW) are starting to cost our society big dollars in health care. It's pretty clear to the researchers in this area that advertising, convenience and cost are all stacked against having a fit healthy population. Unhealthy options are quicker, easier, cheaper and seem more appealing (thanks to the money spent on advertising them).

Personally, it looks to me like attempts to educate the population are falling behind the corporate juggernauts that drive our unhealthy environment.

Here's one example of how insidious the problem is. High fat and sugar conetent in food turn off our sense of fullness - we are then inclined to eat more, because we aren't satisfied. Fast food companies like McDonalds know this. They can sell more burgers/fries/whatever by loading them with fat and sugar. On top of that, increases in serving size create an impression of good value that is worth more to them than the small cost in ingredients. Money talks. Add to this the fact that these vast fast food franchises are cheap and convenient, and you have several very powerful reasons for people to eat there more than they should, some of which are innately physical and difficult to overcome.

I'm not sure what the answer is, but I seriously doubt that hoping people will take controll of their own lives will work in an environment that opposes them at every turn. As velvetlink said above, it's hard to make a healthy choice when it's cheaper to buy Maccas and Coke.

[rowlirowl.livejournal.com]

When I was sixteen, I was perfect for my background and height, but according to the 'authorities' I was obese (looking back at the photos this is totally untrue). The problem is that the authorities are lumping all kinds of people together on the same chart. It just doesn't work like that. I come from a family history of being fully physically mature by 13/14 years old. There is no way people like myself should be judged against those that haven't yet started that process. From that I learnt to throw out the vast majority of what the Australian 'professionals' think.

This comment I read today is one of the most sensible I have seen in a long while, concerning children and nutrition.