Fast Food Reduces Kid-Focused Ads, but Study Says Not Enough

A new Yale report finds that too many kids still see too many QSR ads, although those commercials are not necessarily aimed at children.

November 08, 2013

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Fast-food chains have lessened their advertisements to kids and have added more healthy foods to their children’s meals, but that might not be good enough to make a dent in children’s obesity rates, according to a new study from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

The problem is that too many kids are exposed to QSR commercials aimed at adults and numerous restaurants are still putting non-healthy foods on their adult menus, which the study said canceled the impact of fewer ads directed at kids, Advertising Age reports.

Fast Food Facts 2013, which built on a similar study done by Yale in 2010, discovered that healthier sides and drinks have improved children’s menus. That’s an improvement over the 2010 study, which found a great number of QSR chains campaigning for kids through ads and commercials.

While the 2010 study investigated a dozen fast-food chains, this year’s study looked at 18 of the major ones, including Burger King, KFC, McDonald’s, Subway and Wendy’s. The 2013 study discovered that a mere 3% of all children’s meal combos adhered to the industry’s Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) and the Kids LiveWell nutrition standard. The fast-food chains studied belong to one or the other voluntary groups.

“It’s important to recognize that the restaurant industry remains committed to providing an array of nutritious offerings for children,” said Joy Dubost, director of nutrition at the National Restaurant Association, which runs Kids LiveWell. “The industry has also led the way in advocating that nutrition information be made available to consumers in chain restaurants through a national menu labeling standard. Measures like this will help empower consumers when they dine out.”

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