31st Mar 2009 - 00:00
Abstract
Multinational food and soft drink companies are using their own websites to promote unhealthy foods to children potentially as young as four, reported the Consumers International (CI).
The study, published in a new CI report, New Media, Same Old Tricks, released for World Consumer Rights Day earlier this month, looked at the national and international websites of the top 10 food and drink companies by advertising spend to assess the methods used to promote unhealthy food and drink to children under 16.
Household names such as Kellogg's, KFC, McDonald's, and Nestlé are attracting children online with internet clubs, interactive games, and MySpace-style sites. Parents are also targeted with reassuring messages about the educational value of online games, web safety information and promotional coupons.
McDonald's mcworld.com, for instance, allows children as young as four to register for free games and promotions, registration on pepsi.com requests detailed information about children's soft-drink intake and other hobbies, and Nestlé's milkybar.co.uk encourages parents to play its online games with their children.
Acting on these findings, CI has made recommendations for an international code which target the marketing of foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt to children up to 16 years old. Its demands include: no marketing of unhealthy food to children using new media (such as websites, social networking sites and text messaging), no promotion of unhealthy food in schools, and no use of celebrities, cartoon characters, competitions or free gifts to market unhealthy food.
Justin Macmullan, head of campaigns at CI, said: "In many countries kids already spend more time on the internet than watching TV. That's why it's vital we have mandatory regulations that restrict junk food companies from using new media to perform the same old marketing tricks on our children."