There is an increase in exposure of snack foods advertising on TV from 2010 to 2014, according to reports. And only a quarter of these were healthy. These snack foods are mostly sweets and savory snacks such as fruits, chips, and cookies.
CNN reported that preschoolers with ages 2 to 5 have watched an average of 582 snack ads on TV in 2014, which increased for about 185 times since 2010. Children ages 6 to 11 years old saw 629 snack ads; an increase of 10 percent. Teenagers aged 12 to 17 have watched 635 snack ads with an increase of 29 percent. On the other hand, adults have also seen 793 ads in 2014 with an increase of 32 percent since 2010.
According to researchers, there are about 43 companies that spent, at least, $1 million for snack food brands advertising. These include the PepsiCo, Kellogg, and General Mills companies. Some big companies not only advertise on TV but also on YouTube and Facebook in 2014.
"Companies have recognized the business opportunity in marketing healthy snacks to children and teens in schools," Jennifer Harris, Ph.D. and the director of marketing initiatives of Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut said. "Now they must also recognize that aggressive marketing of unhealthy snack foods to young people is not worth the cost to children's health."
Robert Wood Foundation shared that about 40 percent of snack ads seen on TV in 2014 are healthier foods. These include nuts, fruits, and yogurt. There is also an increase of the numbers of ads for healthy snacks as ads for nuts and fruits for teens doubled since 2010, and for preschoolers, they are more than tripled.On the other hand, there is only a small fraction for fruit and nut ads that were seen by the children and only one-third for the yogurt.
