Every day, children ages 2-17 see on average, 12-21 TV commercials for food products, totaling up to 4,400-7,600 commercials a year.

Food marketing to kids, which includes using cartoon characters, commercials, and celebrity spokespersons to advertise a company’s unhealthy products is persuading kids to eat the company’s unhealthy foods.

One out of three children in America is obese or overweight. Because of food marketing, kids are being taught that it is okay to eat unhealthy foods, large portion sizes, and foods that do not meet their nutritional standard. Ten billion dollars a year is spent on food marketing to kids.

“When I was a kid there was awful marketing when it came to fast food, now there are ‘healthy choices’ everywhere,” said Fine Arts teacher, Stephanie Glode.

Companies should also market healthy products towards kids, not only the fattening and sugary ones.

Marketing has a large effect on what kids are eating, and many kids don’t understand nutrition and portions. Food marketing has been identified as key role in the obesity crisis with kids.

In 2009, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that companies spent $1.79 billion for marketing. Seventy-two percent of that number was on three products: breakfast cereals, fast foods, and carbonated drinks.

“If you teach children to portion size, add variety to meals and NEVER overeat, added with at least 1 hour of vigorous exercise each day, they would definitely be healthier than the majority of Americans,” said Glode

In 2009, fast food restaurants reported to the FTC that they spent $341 million on toys to distribute in kid’s meals, and $583 million was spent on marketing to children that year.

Restaurants don’t have many healthy options for kids. Restaurants are using toys and marketing to sell the meals.

“In the United States it’s almost more money for home grown fruits and vegetables than any type of processed food”, said Glode

The vast majority of restaurants kid’s meals do not meet nutritional standards. A kid’s meal from Dairy Queen can be up to 1,020 calories a meal, a McDonald’s kids meal can be up to 880 calories, and one from Burger king can be up to 795 calories.

Too many companies are using toys and marketing the product, and not caring enough about what the kids are eating.

“I still feel like the best food for our children is not marketed enough. Commercials and advertisements of any kind is expensive,” said Stephanie Glode

Unhealthy foods are marketed a lot more than healthier products. Unhealthy foods are mainly marketed using T.V commercials, magazines, and radio commercials.

About 80% of foods advertised on television shows intended for kids are about fast food and sweets, and the most advertised foods on children’s television are fast foods and cereal.  

Some things that companies can do to help fix this problem is to only promote healthy foods,  develop new meals for kids that meet the nutritional needs and portion sizes, and refrain from advertising a product that is unhealthy for kids.

Companies should fix the marketing problem towards children, and the crisis of obesity facing American children today.