Nutrional Content of Cereal Improves, Advertising Spending on Unhealthiest Brands Increases says Yale Study

25 Jun 2012

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From 2008 to 2011, total media spending to promote child-targeted cereals increased by 34%. The Cereal FACTS report quantifies changes in the nutritional quality of cereals and children’s exposure to cereal marketing after companies pledged to reduce marketing of unhealthy products to children.

25 June 2012 --- Cereal companies have improved the nutritional quality of most cereals marketed directly to children, but they also have increased advertising to children for many of their least nutritious products, according to a report by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

From 2008 to 2011, total media spending to promote child-targeted cereals increased by 34%. The Cereal FACTS report quantifies changes in the nutritional quality of cereals and children’s exposure to cereal marketing after companies pledged to reduce marketing of unhealthy products to children. The findings were presented on Sunday, June 24, during the Biennial Conference of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Children still get one spoonful of sugar in every three spoonfuls of cereal. These products are not nutritious options that children should consume every day,” said lead researcher Jennifer L. Harris, director of marketing initiatives at the Rudd Center.

With the launch of the industry-led Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative in 2006, major companies such as General Mills, Kellogg, and Post promised to improve the nutritional value of their children’s cereals and strengthen their standards for child-directed advertising. In 2009, the Rudd Center issued the first Cereal FACTS report, which found that the least healthy breakfast cereals were those most frequently and aggressively marketed directly to children as young as age 2.

Using the same methods as the original Cereal FACTS, the 2012 study examined the nutritional quality of more than 100 brands and nearly 300 individual varieties of cereal marketed to children, families and adults. Researchers also examined the scope of industry advertising on television, the Internet, and social media sites. The study was supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Rudd Foundation.

Overall nutritional quality improved for 13 of the 14 brands advertised to children. Of the 22 different varieties of these cereals available in both 2008 and 2011, 45% had less sodium, 32% had less sugar, and 23% had more fiber. General Mills improved the nutritional quality of all its child-targeted brands.

"While cereal companies have made small improvements to the nutrition of their child-targeted cereals, these cereals are still far worse than the products they market to adults. They have 56% more sugar, half as much fiber, and 50% more sodium,” said co-author Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of the Rudd Center. “The companies know how to make a range of good-tasting cereals that aren't loaded with sugar and salt. Why can't they help parents out and market these directly to children instead?”

“It is obvious that industry regulating itself is a failure. If there is to be any hope of protecting children from predatory marketing, either public outcry or government action will be necessary to force the companies to change,” added co-author Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center.

In a statement replying to the report, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) argued that: “Today’s ready-to-eat cereals are more nutritious than ever and are some of the healthiest breakfast options available to consumers. Cereals are typically nutrient-dense, low fat and serve as an important source of whole grains, and deliver nutrition in relatively few calories.

“In fact, with milk, cereal is the leading source of 10 key nutrients in the diets of American children. Cereal is also a vehicle for milk consumption: more than 40 percent of milk consumed by children is consumed with cereal. According to research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, regular cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights.”