Big Food’s most vulnerable victims

I often look outside America to see how other countries approach what I consider basic health. That includes how to improve nutrition, which is important at ANY age.

But consider this…

Most eating habits are formed in childhood, making kids especially vulnerable to advertising.

So, what do Big Food companies love to do? Make their foods hyperpalatable (addictive), cheap, and attention-grabbing to younger generations. And they’ve been doing it for decades.

I mean, children can identify Ronald McDonald over Mother Goose. Clearly, their ploy works.

But what’s contributing to this “addiction” in today’s world, where most kids don’t see or hear television and radio advertisements? That’s what a new study out of Canada explored…

Social media’s influence

Researchers looked at 40 of the top brands of junk- and fast food sold in Canada.

Turns out, those 40 brands were mentioned over 16 million times on social media—reaching an estimated 42 billion viewers within just one year.

Shockingly, these numbers don’t even include unpaid advertising—like posts from friends, family, or unaffiliated influencers and celebrities.

(As though social media wasn’t tricky enough, now we have to worry about how “trending” topics might influence the dietary habits of our most vulnerable populations—kids, teens, and even the elderly.)

Now, here’s the difference between the United States and other countries…

An ongoing battle

Canada at least highlights the issue by talking about it. But the U.S. ignores it.

That’s because it’s a massive money-making scheme.

When people talk about Big Food’s products, it benefits the manufacturers, sellers, ad agencies, marketers, influencers, and even the healthcare industry—all the way up to Big Pharma. (I am certain I’m missing some of the players, but you get my point.)

Meanwhile, other countries aim to do more about this damaging trend. In fact, Mexico and Chile put advertising bans on television commercials targeted toward kids years ago, in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

While this step didn’t stem the tide of obesity, it did reduce exposure to enticing marketing campaigns. (Maybe this also helped reduce cravings for said foods, even just a little?)

Of course, ultra-processed foods aren’t good for anyone at any age. So, really, reducing the sheer number of marketing campaigns (in traditional or non-traditional channels) is a worthy goal for all countries, in my opinion.

Mexico and Chile are starting to take their goals a step further by addressing junk food’s pervasiveness in schools. In fact, schools found to be selling common junk food items in Mexico—such as sugary fruit drinks, chips, and more—will be slapped with a hefty fine.

That’s amazing! And, over time, I hope these actionable steps are successful against junk food addiction.

However, I think a major point that we’re missing is this: Until we aim to stop the manufacturing and distribution of these harmful “food” items, not much is going to change.

Before you laugh at me, we did this to tobacco and alcohol. And those campaigns were successful…

Bottom line? Don’t fall victim to those marketing campaigns that convince you indulging in junk food is a good idea. And if you have grandchildren, lead by example. Show them how delicious home-cooked meals can be—made with fresh, healthy, whole foods.

Source:

“Can We Fight Social Media’s Promotion of Junk Food?” Medscape, 12/05/2024. (medscape.com/viewarticle/can-we-fight-social-medias-promotion-junk-food-2024a1000kwm)