Recommendations for Responsible Food Marketing to Children

Abstract

The marketing of unhealthy foods to children and youth is a major public health concern. Children in the United States grow up surrounded by food and beverage marketing, which primarily promotes products with excessive amounts of added sugar, salt, and fat, and inadequate amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. This document provides a comprehensive set of model definitions for food marketing practices directed to children. The recommendations, developed by a national panel of experts convened by Healthy Eating Research, define the child audience range as birth to 14 years of age; address the range of food marketing practices aimed at children; and specify the strategies, techniques, media platforms, and venues used to target children. When paired with sound nutrition criteria, these recommendations will help support responsible food marketing to children by addressing current loopholes in food marketing definitions and self-regulatory efforts that allow companies to market unhealthy foods and beverages to children