Federal Trade Commission

July 2008

A Report to Congress

A Review of Industry Expenditures,

Activities, and Self-Regulation

Marketing Food

to Children

and Adolescents

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Marketing Food to

Children and Adolescents

A Review of Industry Expenditures, 

Activities, and Self-Regulation

July 2008

Federal Trade Commission

William E. Kovacic, Chairman

Pamela Jones Harbour, Commissioner

Jon Leibowitz, Commissioner

J. Thomas Rosch, Commissioner
ii

Report Contributors

Bureau of Consumer Protection

Sarah Botha, Division of Advertising Practices

Keith Fentonmiller, Division of Advertising Practices

Carol Jennings, Division of Advertising Practices

Mary Johnson, Division of Advertising Practices

Kial Young, Division of Advertising Practices

Heather Hippsley, Assistant Director, Division of Advertising Practices

Mary Koelbel Engle, Associate Director, Division of Advertising Practices

Bureau of Economics

Pauline M. Ippolito, Deputy Director, Bureau of Economics

Research Assistants

Todd Dickey, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Advertising Practices

Diana Finegold, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Advertising Practices

Conor McEvily, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Advertising Practices

Colin Conerton, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Honors Paralegal Program

Micah B. Burger, Bureau of Economics

Michelle Y. Kambara, Bureau of Economics

Dane M. Vrabac, Bureau of Economics
iii

Contents

List of Tables...................................................................................................................................v

List of Figures.............................................................................................................................. vii

Executive Summary................................................................................................................ ES-1

I. Introduction.............................................................................................................................1

A. Background: Marketing, Self-Regulation, and Childhood Obesity .................................1

B. Conducting the Study ........................................................................................................3

1. Marketing Expenditures.............................................................................................4

2. Marketing Activities and Other Information Requested by the Special Order ..........5

C. Role of the FTC Study.......................................................................................................6

II. Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents........................................7

A. Introduction .......................................................................................................................7

B. Expenditures Analyzed by Food Category ........................................................................8

C. Expenditures Analyzed by Promotional Activity Groups ...............................................12

1. Traditional Measured Media: Television, Radio, and Print.....................................15

2. New Media: Websites, Internet, Digital, Word-of-Mouth, and Viral Marketing.....17

3. Packaging and In-Store Marketing...........................................................................18

4. Premiums..................................................................................................................19

5. Other Traditional Promotional Activities ...............................................................20

6. In-School Marketing ................................................................................................23

7. Use of Cross-Promotions and Celebrity Endorsements...........................................24

III. Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents...................................27

A. Introduction .....................................................................................................................27

B.	 Specific Promotional Activities.......................................................................................28

1. Cross-Promotions and Third-Party Licensed Characters.........................................28

2. Brand Recognition Activities...................................................................................38

3. Other Promotional Activities....................................................................................39

4. In-School Marketing ................................................................................................51

C. Target Companies’ Market Research on Child and Teen Audiences...............................54

D. Marketing Directed to Children or Adolescents by Gender, Race, Ethnicity, or 

Income Level...................................................................................................................57

1. Television, Print, Radio, and Internet.......................................................................57
iv

Appendices

Data and Research Methods ................................................................................... Appendix A

Federal Trade Commission Order to File Special Report.......................................Appendix B

Expenditure Data Tables by Food Category and Promotional Activity Category..Appendix C

FTC Survey of Food and Beverage Display Advertising on Child- and TeenOriented Websites and Select Data on Food Company Websites....................Appendix D

CBBB Children’s Food & Beverage Advertising Initiative: Tables 

Summarizing Individual Food Company Commitments Regarding Food 

Marketing to Children ..................................................................................... Appendix E

Tables Summarizing Alliance for a Healthier Generation School Beverage 

and Competitive Food Guidelines....................................................................Appendix F

2. Athletic and Other Event Sponsorships ...................................................................58

3. Packaging, In-Store, Premiums, and School-Related Marketing.............................58

IV. Assessment of Food Company Health Initiatives and Recommendations ......................60

A. The 2005 Workshop on Marketing, Self-Regulation & Childhood Obesity and the 

2006 Report .....................................................................................................................60

B. Developments Since the 2005 Workshop and 2006 Report ............................................61

1. Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative ..............................................62

2. “Better for You” products.........................................................................................65

3. Innovative Packaging ...............................................................................................67

4. Nutritional Labeling .................................................................................................68

5. Competitive Foods and Beverages in Schools.........................................................72

6. Healthy Messages.....................................................................................................75

7. Media and Entertainment Company Initiatives........................................................78

C. Measuring the Success of Company Initiatives...............................................................80

V. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................81

Endnotes........................................................................................................................................83
v

List of Tables

Table II.1: Total Youth Marketing for Reported Brands and Percent of Total Marketing, By 

Food Category, Ranked by Youth Spending.................................................................9

Table II.2: Reported Child and Teen Marketing Expenditures and Overlap................................11

Table II.3: Reported Child and Teen Marketing That Uses Cross-Promotions, Ranked by 

Percentage...................................................................................................................25
vi
vii

List of Figures

Figure II.1: Reported Child and Teen Marketing Expenditures and Overlap................................7

Figure II.2: Reported Youth Marketing and Total Marketing for Reported Brands, Ranked 

by Youth Expenditures ...............................................................................................9

Figure II.3: Child and Teen Marketing, Ranked by Youth Expenditures....................................11

Figure II.4: Reported Total Youth Marketing Expenditures by Promotional Activity Group .....12

Figure II.5: Food Category Share of Total Youth Spending For Each Promotional Activity 

Group........................................................................................................................13

Figure II.6: Reported Child Marketing Expenditures, By Promotional Activity Group .............14

Figure II.7: Reported Teen Marketing Expenditures, By Promotional Activity Group ..............14

Figure II.8: Television Advertising Expenditures - Top 3 For Youth ..........................................15

Figure II.9: Television Advertising Expenditures on Top 5 Teen (12-17) Broadcast Shows......16

Figure II.10: New Media - Top 3 for Youth...................................................................................17

Figure II.11: In-Store and Packaging/Labeling - Top 3 for Youth.................................................18

Figure II.12: Premiums - Top 3 for Children.................................................................................19

Figure II.13:	2006 Child Traffic for Kids’ Meals with Toys, 99¢ or $1.00 Menu Items, and

Older Kids’ Meals (All QSRs versus Select QSRs).................................................20

Figure II.14:	Percent of 2006 Child Traffic for Kids’ Meals with Toys (All QSRs vs. Select

QSRs) .......................................................................................................................20

Figure II.15: Other Traditional Promotions - Top 3 for Youth ......................................................21

Figure II.16: In-School - Top 3 for Youth......................................................................................23

Figure II.17: Reported Child Marketing Expenditures and Portion Using Cross-Promotions......26

Executive Summary

ES-1

Executive Summary

Concern about the dramatic increase in childhood obesity in the United States prompted 

Congress to request that the Federal Trade Commission conduct a study of food and beverage 

marketing to children and adolescents. The results of that study – an analysis of 2006 

expenditures and activities by 44 companies – are presented here. Included are not only the 

traditional measured media – television, radio, and print – but also activities on the Internet and 

other new electronic media, as well as previously unmeasured forms of marketing to young 

people, such as packaging, in-store advertising, event sponsorship, and promotions that take 

place in schools. Integrated advertising campaigns that combine several of these techniques 

and often involve cross-promotions – linking a food or beverage to a licensed character, a new 

movie, or a popular television program – dominate today’s landscape of advertising to youth.

The data presented here tell the story of food and beverage marketing in a year just 

preceding, or early in the development of, industry self-regulatory activities designed to reduce 

or change the profile of such marketing to children. These initiatives – some of which gr

out of a 2005 joint FTC and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Workshop on 

Marketing, Self-Regulation & Childhood Obesity – are described in Section IV of this Report, 

which also sets forth recommendations for future actions by food and entertainment industry 

members, as well as the organizations that have spearheaded self-regulatory efforts. This Report, 

which compiles information not previously assembled or available to the research community, 

may serve as a benchmark for measuring future progress with respect to these initiatives.

The data in this Report were obtained by issuing compulsory process orders to industry 

members, including beverage manufacturers and bottlers; companies that produce packaged food 

such as snacks, baked goods, cereals, and prepared meals; makers of candy and chilled desserts; 

dairy marketers; fruit and vegetable growers; and quick-service restaurants (QSRs). These are 

the foods most frequently advertised to children (ages 2-11) and adolescents (ages 12-17), and 

the 44 target companies are the primary marketers to youth (ages 2-17) in those food categories. 

The companies were required to provide expenditure data in each of 20 advertising or 

promotional activity categories for marketing directed to children, adolescents, and all audiences. 

Samples of marketing activities or descriptions of techniques used in 2006 were also obtained.

Dollars Spent on Marketing to Children and Adolescents

The 44 reporting companies spent approximately $1,618,600,000 to promote food and

beverages to children and adolescents in the U.S. in 2006. Approximately $870 million w
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

ES-2

spent on food marketing directed to children under 12 and a little more than $1 billion on

marketing to adolescents. About $300 million of these expenditures were addressed to both a

groups; hence, the total spending is less than the sum of the separate expenditures for the two age 

groups.

Previous estimates of food marketing directed to children and adolescents by other 

researchers have been significantly higher than $1.6 billion. There are several reasons for th

disparity. Other researchers have not had access to the confidential company financial da

obtained by the Commission. Moreover, prior estimates appear to have included advertising 

directed to children for products other than food. In addition, these estimates have included price 

promotions, such as coupons or discounts for children at hotels and restaurants, that generally are 

targeted to adults.

For those food and beverage brands promoted to children and adolescents, the overall 

expenditures for promotional activities directed to all audiences, including additional adultoriented marketing, was more than $9.6 billion. Therefore, the expenditures directed to tho

between the ages of 2 and 17 represented 17% of the total 2006 marketing budget for those 

brands.

Carbonated beverages, restaurant (QSR) food, and breakfast cereals accounted for $1.02

billion of the $1.6 billion, or 63% of the total amount spent on marketing to youth by the

reporting companies. For carbonated beverages, the total was $492 million, with $474 milli

(or 96%) of that amount directed to adolescents. Nearly 24%, or $116 million, of carbonat

beverage youth marketing consisted of in-school expenditures. QSRs reported spending close 

to $294 million on promotions to youth, divided fairly evenly between activities directed to

children and those targeted to adolescents. For cereals, the total was $237 million, with $2

million targeted to children.

Television advertising still dominates the landscape of marketing techniques used to promote 

foods and beverages to youth; companies reported spending $745 million, or 46% of all reported

youth marketing expenditures, on this medium. More than 50% of the television advertising was 

directed to children under 12, with breakfast cereals and restaurant food accounting for more 

than half of that advertising. Carbonated beverages and restaurant food dominated adolescentdirected television advertising. All told, traditional “measured media” (television, radio, and 

print) accounted for $853 million, or 53% of the reported youth-directed marketing expenditures.

New media – the Internet, digital (such as email and text messaging), and word-of-mouth/

viral marketing – have become an important component of promotional activities intended to 

reach children and adolescents. In an attempt to quantify the use of online marketing, Appendix 
Executive Summary

ES-3

D to this Report explores the amount of display advertising for food and beverages that appeared 

on child- and adolescent-oriented websites in 2006, as well as traffic on company websites that

promote food or beverage products through branded entertainment and activities designed for 

children and adolescents. In terms of expenditures, however, the new media accounted for only 

$77 million, or 5% of reported youth-directed marketing.

Expenditures on specialty items (premiums) and prizes for children and adolescents totaled 

$67 million, or 4% of reported youth marketing dollars. However, this number does not inclu

toys distributed by QSRs with children’s meals because, in those cases, the consumer purchases 

the toy when paying for the meal. If the cost of QSR toys – which is estimated to total $3

million – were added to the reported premium expenditures, this category would jump to $427

million and would rank second only to television as a promotional technique targeted to children. 

Moreover, if added to QSRs’ reported child-directed marketing expenditures of $161 million,

these costs would result in total spending on child-directed marketing by the reporting QSRs of 

over $520 million – more than twice the amount spent on child-directed marketing in any other

food category.

Companies reported spending $195 million on packaging and in-store display materials to

reach children and adolescents, or 12% of all reported youth marketing expenditures. Marketing 

in schools totaled $186 million, or 11% of reported youth marketing, and 90% of those

expenditures were for beverages, both carbonated and non-carbonated. The remaining $2

million (15%) of reported youth-directed marketing was spent on other traditional promotional 

activities, such as event and athletic sponsorships; celebrity endorsement fees; movie theater, 

video, and video game ads; product placements in movies, television, and video games; crosspromotion licensing fees; and promotional activities conducted in connection with philanthropic 

endeavors.

Expenditures for cross-promotions, including the use of licensed characters and tie-ins 

with television programs, movies, toys, or other entertainment events, were compiled across 

promotional categories – generally including television, the Internet, premiums, packaging, 

and in-store displays. A little more than $208 million, representing 13% of all reported you

marketing, was devoted to cross-promotions. For some food categories, such as restaurant 

food and fruits and vegetables, cross-promotions were nearly 50% of reported child-directed 

expenditures. Cross-promotional activities directed to children were used for restaurant food, 

breakfast cereals, snack foods, prepared foods, dairy products, baked goods, and fruits and 

vegetables. Cross-promotions targeting an adolescent audience were used for snack foods, 

candy, and carbonated drinks.
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

ES-4

Methods of Promoting Foods and Beverages to Children 

and Adolescents

For most food and beverage products, advertising to a young audience employs the full 

spectrum of promotional techniques and formats. Promotional campaigns directed to youth 

tend to be fully integrated, with themes encountered in television ads carried over to package 

materials, promotional displays in stores or restaurants, and the Internet. Packaging promotes 

the company or food product website, where entry of a code found on the package might enable 

the young consumer to participate in a contest, play a game that features the product, or receive 

“points” to redeem for premiums.

Cross-promotions were widespread in 2006, tying foods and beverages in all of the covered 

categories to about 80 movies, television shows, and animated characters that appeal primarily 

to youth. Superman Returns and Pirates of the Caribbean were prominent that year – promoting 

QSR children’s meals, frozen waffles, fruit and fruit snacks, breakfast cereals, popcorn, lunch

kits, candy, carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, pasta, snack chips, and milk. Superman 

and the Pirates characters appeared in ads on television, in movie theaters, on the Internet, and 

on packaging and in-store displays. Companies created special limited edition snacks, cereals, 

frozen waffles, and candies based on the movies. Children or adolescents could go online 

play “advergames” related to the characters and their stories and to enter contests or sweepstakes 

using special codes obtained from food packages or beverage containers. Prizes ranged from 

video games to trips to Disney parks to a $1,000,000 reward for the “capture” of Superman

villain, Lex Luthor. Related premiums included skull-shaped bowls, bandanas, strobe light key 

chains, movie posters, outdoor flying toys, Superman action figures, activity books, and digital

downloads.

For some food products marketed to children, companies have created their own successful 

“spokescharacters” – animated versions of animals, people, or even the food itself. Stories and 

biographical information about the characters appear in television ads, on packages, and in online 

videos. The stories are augmented by websites that use the characters in games, afford children 

the opportunity to help them solve problems or mysteries, and offer related prizes or premiums, 

such as character cards or comic books to collect. Food company characters occasionally 

even make “live” appearances at events. Some food companies also sell – or license third 

parties to sell – merchandise, such as toys and clothing branded with food products or their 

spokescharacters.

The Internet – though far less costly than television – has become a major marketing tool 

of food companies that target children and adolescents, with more than two-thirds of the 44 
Executive Summary

ES-5

companies reporting online, youth-directed activities. Some devote space on a company website 

to child or adolescent content, while others have developed independent websites for foods or 

beverages that particularly appeal to children or adolescents. Advergames, directed to both 

children and adolescents, were featured on websites for snacks, cookies, candy, cereals, dairy 

products, frozen meals, beverages, soups, frozen waffles, fruit, and restaurant food.

Websites appealing to adolescents often featured sports or music, and many offered free 

downloads, such as screensavers, wallpapers, ringtones, music, and layouts for MySpace 

pages. Downloads for children included activity sheets, pages to color, stickers, iron-on 

decals, and games. Some beverage companies contacted adolescents by text messaging, and a 

few companies used podcasts and “webisodes” (online video episodes) to reach children and 

adolescents.

A by-product of Internet marketing is viral marketing, in which consumers are encouraged 

to share electronic promotional messages with other consumers. Typically, these efforts consist 

of “e-cards” (electronic greeting cards) and “send-to-a-friend” emails that can be sent from food 

product websites and contain hyperlinks back to the site. These techniques were used to reach 

both children and adolescents, and often were linked to a cross-promotional campaign. Word-ofmouth activities involved electronic and non-electronic peer-to-peer communications about food 

products, in which consumers were recruited to act as product “ambassadors” or “connectors” 

by handing out promotional materials or samples. Most of these activities were directed to 

adolescents.

Product packages and point-of-sale materials in stores were used heavily for movie or 

television program cross-promotions, displays of company spokescharacters, and premium or 

sweepstakes promotions. Sports themes and offers of sports paraphernalia were a popular means 

of attracting adolescent consumers. Other store promotions featured mini-events, with branded 

vehicles, product samples, carnival-type activities for children, and distribution of toys or other 

items. Fruit and vegetable companies used Sesame Street and other characters on produce 

displays, packaging, and the produce itself to appeal to young children.

Premiums – available free with the food product or at a discount with proof of purchase – 

ran the gamut from small toys, trinkets, or collectible cards to DVDs, video games, music or 

ringtone downloads, and amusement park or event tickets. Prizes available through contests or 

sweepstakes were often in the form of cash. Other prizes included electronic equipment, such as 

televisions, digital music players, and cell phones; sports equipment, apparel, camps, or clinics; 

vacations and trips to theme parks; and tickets to concerts or sporting events. Some companies 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

ES-6

offered a point system tied to accumulated proofs of product purchase; points could be redeemed 

for merchandise, usually through a company website.

Celebrity endorsers – actors, athletes, singers, and musical groups – were featured in 

television and print ads, on the Internet, and in store displays, primarily in ads directed to 

adolescents or “tweens” (those between the ages of 8 or 9 and 13 or 14). Often they were tied 

to sweepstakes, such as a contest for the opportunity to meet a basketball star in person. Food 

and beverage promotion took place at sponsored events, including local fairs or festivals with 

children’s activities, performances at mall and retail sites, concerts, athletic events, circuses, 

children’s movie premieres, and other venues appealing to children or adolescents. Some 

companies sent branded cars, vans, or buses on tour to distribute samples and engage with 

children or adolescents at stores, community events, amusement parks, athletic events, or 

“impromptu” events created by the food marketer itself. Sponsorship of athletes, athletic teams, 

and competitive sporting events, including those for extreme sports, was a common promotional 

activity directed to children or adolescents. The sponsorship of professional athletic teams also 

included opportunities for children or tweens to meet players, participate in pre-game or sideline 

events, and attend sports camps, clinics, or training programs.

Product placements – such as a character drinking a soda or offering it to another character, 

a can or bottle appearing on a table, or a brand name mentioned in dialogue – occurred in a few 

television programs popular with children or adolescents and in some PG and PG-13 movies 

appealing to youth. Food and beverage ads also appeared in movie theaters, on videos, and 

before video games, and occasionally food products were integrated into video game content.

Marketing in elementary, middle, and high schools occurred primarily through displays on 

or around vending machines or in cafeterias. Companies sponsored athletic events, programs, 

equipment, or apparel; provided product samples and branded merchandise to schools; and 

sometimes sponsored contests with student prizes. A few provided instructional materials about 

nutrition and fitness or sponsored reading encouragement programs.

Food Company Health Initiatives

Since the 2005 FTC/HHS Workshop on Marketing, Self Regulation & Childhood Obesity, 

and the subsequent Report issued in April 2006, members of the food and beverage industry, 

as well as entertainment and media companies, have taken important steps to encourage better 

nutrition and fitness among the nation’s youth. The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertisi

Initiative, established by the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) in November 2006, 

represents a significant effort to change the mix of food and beverage advertising messages
Executive Summary

ES-7

directed to children under 12 and to encourage them to eat healthier foods and be more 

physically active. To date, 13 of the largest food and beverage companies – estimated to account 

for more than two-thirds of the food and beverage television advertising expenditures directed 

toward children – have joined the Initiative, pledging either not to direct television, radio, 

print, or Internet advertising to children under 12 or to limit their advertising to foods that meet 

specified nutritional standards. Other aspects of the pledges include limiting the use of licens

characters to the promotion of healthier products or lifestyles, not seeking product placements 

in child-directed media, not advertising food or beverages in elementary schools, and using only 

“healthy dietary choices” in interactive games directed to children.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation – a partnership of the William J. Clinton Foundation 

and the American Heart Association – has joined with industry in a significant effort to change

the array of “competitive” foods and drinks (i.e., those sold outside the school meal program) 

sold to children and adolescents in schools. The School Beverage Guidelines, adopted in May 

2006, impose size and calorie limitations that vary based on educational level. The Competitive 

Food Guidelines, adopted in October 2006, impose restrictions on calories, as well as fat, sugar, 

and sodium content.

Other efforts by food industry members include: product reformulation; development of 

new “better for you” products; more nutritious products available in QSR children’s meals; 

single-serving packages to assist with portion control; nutritional labeling initiatives, such 

as company icons, third-party seals, and front-of-package nutrition information; and public 

education directed to children and adolescents regarding nutrition and fitness. Some med

and entertainment companies have also stepped forward with new initiatives, such as limiting 

the licensing of popular characters to promote only foods meeting minimum nutritional 

requirements; requiring program sponsors to meet nutritional guidelines; and incorporating 

healthy messages into children’s programs.

The Commission notes that significant progress has been made in implementing the

recommendations that evolved from its 2005 Workshop and 2006 Report, although there remains 

room for improvement. Based on the results of this study, the Commission has developed the 

following recommendations for future actions by industry members and others, including the 

organizations that have undertaken new initiatives to address the childhood obesity problem:
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

ES-8

Recommendations for Food and Beverage Companies

General:

• All companies that market food or beverage products to children should adopt and 

adhere to meaningful nutrition-based standards for marketing their products to 

children under 12. A useful first step would be to join the CBBB Initiativ

• Companies should broadly construe “marketing” to include all advertising 

and promotional techniques, including but not limited to: advertising on 

television and radio, in print media, and on the Internet (including third-party 

and company-sponsored websites); product packaging and labeling; advertising 

preceding a movie shown in a movie theater or placed on a video (DVD or VHS) 

or within a video game; promotional content transmitted to personal computers 

and other digital or mobile devices; advertising displays and promotions at 

the retail site; specialty or premium items distributed in connection with the 

sale of a product; promotion or sponsorship of public entertainment events; 

product placements; character licensing, toy co-branding and cross-promotions; 

sponsorship of sports teams or individual athletes; word-of-mouth and viral 

marketing; celebrity endorsements; and in-school marketing.

• In cases where a product line contains some product varieties that meet the 

nutrition-based standard and others that do not, companies should strictly limit 

all components of a promotion or advertising campaign directed to children 

under 12 to those varieties that meet the standard. Thus, for example, television 

or print advertisements promoting a sweepstakes would feature only the “better 

for you” varieties of the product, and licensed characters would appear only on 

packages of the “better for you” varieties.

• Companies should consider limiting branded merchandise intended for children to 

products or brand lines meeting meaningful nutrition-based standards.

Improving the Nutritional Profile of Product

• Companies should continue and increase efforts to improve the nutritional profiles

of their products – especially those marketed to children and adolescents – through 

product innovation and reformulation.

• Companies should improve upon the nutritional criteria adopted for “better for you” 

products as they find ways to lower sugar, fat, sodium, etc., without sacrificing taste

and appeal.

• In applicable cases, companies should re-examine whether the fact that a product 

has “less” of, or is “reduced” in, calories or certain nutrients (e.g., sodium, sugar, 

or fat) is, by itself, a sufficient basis for qualifying as a “better for you” product.
Executive Summary

ES-9

• Companies should continue and expand efforts to package more nutritious products 

in ways that are more appealing to children.

• Companies should continue efforts to use product packaging to help consumers 

control portion sizes and calories, by offering smaller portions and single-serving 

packages.

Nutrition Lab

• Companies should conduct research on the effectiveness of various labeling devices 

to determine how consumers interpret such labeling and to identify those devices 

most effective at conveying meaningful, truthful information.

• Companies should work toward consistency among the standards used by individual 

food and beverage companies to determine what constitutes a “better for you” 

product, such as through the development and use of third-party standards, icons, or 

other devices. The Commission supports the work of the Keystone Center and others 

in this regard.

Healthy Messag

• Companies should expand public outreach efforts – through company-sponsored 

initiatives, third-party partnerships, and innovative and varied media techniques 

– to educate children and adolescents about the importance of healthy eating and 

exercise.

• Companies should devote particular attention to outreach aimed at ethnic 

minority populations that are disproportionately affected by childhood 

overweight and obesity.

• Companies should continue researching the effectiveness of their campaigns to 

educate and motivate youth to engage in healthier lifestyles.

TheCBBB Ini

• The CBBB should closely monitor participating companies’ compliance with their 

pledges.

• The CBBB and participating companies should enhance the Initiative in the 

following ways:

• Expand the scope of “advertising to children” to encompass all advertising and 

promotional techniques, including, for example, product packaging and in-store 

marketing;

• Require that 100% of food advertising directed to children under 12 promotes 

healthy dietary choices;
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

ES-10

• In cases where a product line contains some product varieties that meet a 

company’s nutrition criteria for a “healthy dietary choice” and others that do not, 

the company should strictly limit all components of a promotion or advertising 

campaign directed to children under 12 to those varieties that meet the criteria. 

Thus, for example, television or print advertisements promoting a sweepstakes 

would feature only the varieties of the product that represent healthy dietary 

choices, and licensed characters would appear only on packages of the varieties 

that are healthy dietary choices.

• Work toward standardizing the nutrition criteria for “healthy dietary choices” that 

may be marketed to children, such as by product category (e.g., for beverages, 

cereals, snack foods, soups, canned pastas, frozen entrees, etc.);

• In applicable cases, companies should re-examine whether the fact that a product 

has “less” of, or is “reduced” in, calories or certain nutrients (e.g., sodium, sugar, 

or fat) is, by itself, a sufficient basis for qualifying as a “healthy dietary choice”;

• Work toward developing meaningful, standardized definitions for what constitutes

advertising “directed to children under 12.” In considering how to define “direct

to children,” the CBBB and participating companies should consider, where relevant 

to the advertising medium, factors such as the percentage of the audience under 

12; the total number of children reached; the time of day and venue in which the 

advertising appears; and whether the advertising features characters, performers, 

or celebrities who are popular with children, or contains themes, language, or other 

attributes designed to appeal to children.

• Require companies not to engage in, approve, or allow placement of their product in 

media directed to children under 12;

• Require participating companies to ensure that their franchisees are bound by the 

companies’ pledge commitments, such as by incorporating the pledge commitments 

into any franchisee contracts.

Foods & Beverages in Sch

• Companies should continue efforts to improve the nutritional profile of foods and

beverages sold in schools.

• All companies that sell “competitive” food or beverage products in schools should 

join the Alliance for a Healthier Generation or otherwise adopt and adhere to 

meaningful nutrition-based standards for foods and beverages sold in schools, such 

as those recommended by the Institute of Medicine.

• Participating companies should consider incorporating their Alliance commitments 

into distributor contracts.

• Companies should cease all in-school promotion of products that do not meet 

meaningful nutrition-based standards.
Executive Summary

ES-11

• The Commission encourages schools and school districts, as part of their school 

wellness policies, to adopt and implement meaningful nutrition-based standards for 

competitive foods sold in schools.

Recommendations for Media and Entertainment Companies

• More media and entertainment companies should limit the licensing of their 

characters to healthier foods and beverages that are marketed to children, so that 

cross-promotions with popular children’s movies and television characters will favor 

the more, rather than the less, nutritious foods and drinks.

• Media companies should consider adopting uniform, objective standards that limit 

advertising placements on programs “directed to children” to healthier food and 

beverage products.

• Media and entertainment companies should continue to incorporate health and 

nutrition messages into programming and editorial content, and to create public 

education campaigns aimed at the problem of childhood obesity.

• Media and entertainment companies should test the effectiveness of any health 

and nutrition messages and public education campaigns aimed at the problem of 

childhood obesity.

• Media and entertainment companies should consider the feasibility of instituting a 

self-regulatory initiative to facilitate implementation of the recommendations above. 

The companies should consider working with the CBBB in this endeavor.

Conclusion

The food and beverage companies surveyed for this Report spent more than $1.6 billion

marketing their products to children and adolescents in 2006. The Commission believes that 

these companies were responsible for a substantial majority of the industry expenditures for food 

and beverage marketing to children and adolescents during 2006. The companies used myriad 

techniques, including traditional measured media, the Internet and other “new” media, as well 

as product packaging, in-store advertising, and event promotions, to name a few. Integrated 

advertising campaigns that combined several of these techniques were prevalent.

Whether there is a link between food marketing to children and childhood obesity is a 

question not addressed by this Report. What is clear, however, is that childhood obesity is 

a complex problem, with many social and economic contributing factors. The Commission 

believes that all segments of society – parents, schools, government, health care professionals, 

food companies, and the media – have an obligation to contribute to finding and implementing

solutions. This Report – with its detailed assessments of the kinds of foods being marketed to 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

ES-12

children and adolescents and how these foods are being marketed – informs one aspect of the 

ongoing dialogue about how to address the problem.

Participants in the 2005 Workshop generally agreed that, regardless of the causes of 

childhood obesity, food and beverage marketers can employ a wide range of strategies to play 

a positive role in reversing the trend. Participants also recognized that consumers expect the 

industry to help both adults and children improve their diets by providing more healthy choices 

and helpful nutrition information, and by engaging in responsible marketing practices. Based on 

this study, the Commission has formulated its recommendations for future actions by members of 

the food industry, the media and entertainment industries, and others. These recommendations, 

set forth above, are also included in Sections IV and V of the Report.
Introduction

1

I. Introduction

At the request of Congress,1 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has conducted a study 

of the marketing of foods and beverages to children and adolescents.2 This Report presents 

the results of that study. It analyzes data from both public and non-public sources to provide a 

comprehensive picture of expenditures and activities directed toward children (ages 2-11) and 

adolescents (ages 12-17, also referred to as “teenagers” or “teens”) by 44 food and beverage 

producers, marketers, and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) in the United States during 2006. 

While the study does not include the entire universe of companies marketing food to children and 

adolescents (collectively referred to as “youth”), or the entire range of foods promoted to them, 

the Commission believes that this Report covers a substantial majority of such expenditures 

and activities for the relevant time frame. As requested by Congress, the study addresses not 

only marketing activities in traditional measured media – television, radio, and print – but also 

analyzes the Internet and other new media, as well as older, but mostly unmeasured, forms of 

promotional activities directed to youth. The Report presents a great deal of information not 

previously collected and not otherwise available to the research community.3Significantl

the Report gathers data from a year just before, or very early in the inception of, industry selfregulatory activities aimed at reducing or changing the profile of food and beverage marketing to

children. As a result, the Commission study may serve as a benchmark for measuring the future 

success of voluntary efforts to modify that advertising.

A. Background: Marketing, Self-Regulation, and Childhood 

Obesity

In recent decades, the incidence of childhood overweight and obesity in the United States 

has increased rapidly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 

prevalence of overweight youth has increased about three-fold over the last 25 or 30 years. 

Today nearly 14% of children ages 2-5, 19% of children ages 6-11, and about 17% of adolescents 

ages 12-19 are overweight.4 The long-term health consequences – with increased risk for 

cardiovascular disease and greater prevalence of type 2 diabetes – are very serious.5 Growing 

awareness of the health issues has focused public attention on what and how much children 

consume and which foods and beverages they are encouraged to eat and drink.

Government agencies, private organizations, and food and entertainment industry 

members have endeavored, in recent years, to explore the contributing factors and develop new 

initiatives to address the problem.6 In July 2005, the FTC and the Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS) jointly convened a two-day Workshop on Marketing, Self-Regulation 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

2

& Childhood Obesity.7 This event brought together some of the largest food manufacturers 

and entertainment companies, as well as government officials, health experts, and consumer

advocates. The purpose of the Workshop was not to attempt to determine the causes of 

childhood obesity nor to assess blame; rather, the goal was to focus attention on positive 

initiatives that industry members and others could take to encourage healthier eating and living 

by the nation’s young people. Out of the 2005 Workshop came a 2006 Report with a series of 

recommendations for the food and media industries, including suggestions for self-regulatory 

initiatives to change the way food is marketed to children.8

In July 2007, the FTC and HHS conducted a follow-up Forum to review progress in the 

implementation of self-regulatory and educational initiatives.9 The agencies were encouraged 

to learn that the 2005 Workshop and 2006 Report had provided a stimulus for new programs, in 

particular the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, established by the Council 

of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) and the CBBB’s National Advertising Review Council. To 

date, 13 of the largest food and beverage companies – estimated to represent more than twothirds of children’s food and beverage television advertising expenditures10 – have joined the 

Initiative, making pledges that, when fully implemented, will significantly alter the landscape

of food marketing to children. Most of these companies have committed either not to advertise 

directly to children under 12 or to limit such advertising – including television, radio, print, and 

the Internet – to foods that qualify as “healthy dietary choices” by meeting specified nutritional

standards, such as limitations on calories, fat, sugar, and sodium and/or providing certain 

nutritional benefits to children. In addition, the companies have pledged to limit the use 

licensed characters to promote “healthy dietary choices” or healthy lifestyles, not to seek product 

placements in child-directed media, not to advertise food or beverages in elementary schools, 

and to use only their “healthy dietary choices” in interactive games directed to children. The 

Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, and other voluntary efforts such as the 

Alliance for a Healthier Generation, are described in Section IV of this Report.

In preparing this Report, as in sponsoring the 2005 Workshop and follow-up Forum, the 

Commission has not attempted to address the question of whether there is a link between food 

marketing to children and childhood obesity. An Institute of Medicine study released in 2006 

included a comprehensive survey of research addressing the relationship between exposure 

to food advertising on television and requests for, preferences for, and consumption of the 

advertised products by children and adolescents. (The relevant research did not address forms 

of marketing other than television advertising.) The IOM concluded there is strong evidence 

that television advertising influences the food and beverage requests and preferences of children

ages 2-11, but found insufficient evidence for teens ages 12-18. With respect to actual fo
Introduction

3

consumption, the IOM concluded there is strong evidence that television advertising influences

the short-term consumption of children ages 2-11, but again found insufficient evidence with

respect to teens. When looking at usual dietary intake, or long-term, as opposed to short-term, 

food consumption, the evidence of a relationship to television advertising was much weaker. 

Finally, the IOM found strong statistical evidence that exposure to television advertising is 

associated with adiposity in children and adolescents; however, the IOM could not make a 

finding about a causal relationship between the two.11

Another significant study regarding advertising on children’s television was published by

the Commission last year. Economists in the FTC’s Bureau of Economics compared children’s 

exposure to television advertising in 1977 with their exposure in 2004. They concluded that 

children’s exposure to food ads on television has not risen and has actually fallen modestly. In 

2004, children ages 2-11 saw approximately 5,500 food ads on television, which constituted 

22% of their total annual television ad exposure. This is about 9% less than the 6,100 food ads 

children were estimated to have seen in 1977. In 2004, however, children’s ad exposure was 

more concentrated on children’s programming; about half of the food ads seen by children were 

during programs in which children were at least 50% of the audience, compared to about one 

quarter in 1977. In both years, the advertised foods were concentrated in the breakfast cereal, 

candy and dessert, and restaurant food categories.12

This Report will complement the Bureau of Economics study, providing information on 

expenditures and promotional activities in the newer media that did not exist in 1977. Although 

children’s exposure to food advertising on television has remained fairly constant over the past 

30 years, marketing to children has become omnipresent, and promotional campaigns have 

become more integrated because of the Internet, other new electronic media, and the burgeoning 

of cross-promotions with products, movies, and characters popular with children and teens.

B. Conducting the Study

Based on its own research, as well as public comments received in response to a preliminary 

Federal Register notice,13 the Commission concluded that the data necessary to prepare the 

comprehensive report sought by Congress could be obtained only through the use of compulsory 

process. Therefore, on July 31, 2007, the FTC issued an Order to File Special Report (Special 

Order)14 to 44 food and beverage manufacturers, distributors, and marketers, as well as QSRs, in 

the U.S.15 As noted in Appendix A, those 44 companies included the top television advertisers 

in programs or time segments where 30% or more of the audience was between the ages of 2 

and 17. In addition, for the primary products in the selected food categories, the companies 

accounted for 60% to 90% of U.S. sales. Therefore, the Commission believes that the companies 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

4

that received and responded to the Special Order were responsible for a substantial majority of 

expenditures for food and beverage marketing to children and adolescents during 2006.

Also included among the 44 companies were 12 fruit and vegetable producers, distributors, 

and marketers. Fresh produce companies traditionally have not engaged in significant marketi

efforts directed toward children; however, some have now begun to use innovative techniques, 

such as placing popular licensed characters on labels or in supermarket displays, to reach 

children. Although the expenditures and range of activities for marketing these products to 

children may be small when compared to those for packaged foods (such as snacks, baked goods, 

cereals, and prepared meals) and beverages, the Commission decided that it was important 

to include the marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables in this study. The new, child-friendly 

promotions by some growers are a creative way to encourage healthier eating habits among 

children; it is likely such efforts will gain momentum with heightened public awareness of 

children’s health issues.

In addition, four major beverage bottlers were included among the 44 companies. The 

bottling companies are responsible for many beverage marketing activities on a local level, 

such as in-school marketing, event sponsorship, and in-store promotions. The Commission 

therefore concluded that major bottlers should be included in the study in order to provide a more 

complete and accurate picture of beverage marketing to children and adolescents.

The Special Order required information about marketing activities and expenditures in 

2006 for brands in 11 categories of food products: breakfast cereals, snack foods, candy, dairy 

products, baked goods, carbonated beverages, fruit juice and non-carbonated beverages, prepared 

foods and meals,16 frozen and chilled desserts, fruits and vegetables, and restaurant (QSR) 

food. A detailed explanation of the criteria used in the Special Order and the methodology of 

conducting this study is set forth in Appendix A.

1. Marketing Expenditures

The companies were required to submit expenditure information for their marketing 

activities directed toward children (ages 2-11), adolescents (ages 12-17), or both, in each of 

20 separate promotional activity categories: television, radio, and print advertising, company 

websites, other Internet advertising, packaging and labeling, advertising in movie theaters/

videos/video games, other digital advertising (such as email and text messaging), in-store 

marketing, premium distribution, public entertainment events, product placement, character 

licensing/cross-promotions/toy co-branding, sponsorship of sports teams or athletes, word-ofmouth marketing, viral marketing, celebrity endorsements, in-school marketing, advertising in 

conjunction with philanthropic endeavors, and other promotional activities.
Introduction

5

For food products marketed to children or adolescents in any particular promotional 

category, the companies also were required to report the total amount spent in that category to 

market the product to all audiences. Finally, for any product marketed to children or adolescents, 

each company also was required to report its overall marketing budget for that product. The 

information about promotional category totals and overall expenditures for those products 

marketed to children or adolescents was included in the request so that the reported expenditures 

for children and adolescents could be placed within the appropriate context.

To protect the confidentiality of financial information reported by the individual companies,

as required by the FTC Act and Commission Rules,17 the expenditure data are reported, in 

Section II of this Report, only in aggregated amounts, by food category and by the promotional 

techniques used.

2. Marketing Activities and Other Information Requested by the Special 

Order

The Commission Special Order requested samples or descriptions of advertising and 

marketing in all promotional categories, except for television, radio, and print. The nature 

of advertising to children in the traditional broadcast and print media is well known, readily 

accessible, and described in other research studies. Therefore, the Commission limited this 

aspect of the request to the other promotional activity categories. These comprise the newer 

forms of marketing to children, such as use of the Internet, as well as traditional venues, like 

packaging and in-store promotions, that generally have not been documented and described 

elsewhere. Of course, as noted in Section III of the Report, cross-promotional advertising 

campaigns generally include television advertising as a key component. Therefore, information 

regarding television advertising that was part of a cross-promotional campaign involving a 

licensed character, for example, was included in the company reports. In addition, companies 

were asked to provide samples or descriptions of promotional activities for which they did 

not incur expenditures. Therefore, Section III of the Report affords a comprehensive look 

at the nature of promotional activities targeted toward children, adolescents, or both in 

2006. Companies also were asked to provide any marketing research regarding the appeal to 

individuals under the age of 18 of any particular types of advertising or promotional techniques. 

Research findings of particular interest are described in Section III as well.18

In addition to responding to the congressional request, this Report serves as a followup report on the recommendations set forth in the FTC/HHS 2006 Report. Accordingly, the 

Commission Special Order sought information regarding company policies pertaining to 

food advertising and promotional activities directed to children or adolescents that were in 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

6

effect on or after January 1, 2006. The Special Order also requested information regarding 

company initiatives to promote healthy eating, such as product reformulation, packaging to 

make nutritious and lower calorie products appealing to children or adolescents, nutritional 

icon or seal programs, efforts to improve the nutritional profile of foods marketed to children

and adolescents, public education efforts regarding nutritional issues, and efforts to improve 

the nutritional profile of products sold in the schools. Section IV of the Report presents t

information received in response to this part of the request.

C. Role of the FTC Study

The data presented in this Report represent a substantial majority of expenditures and 

promotional activities in the marketing of food and beverage products to children and teenagers 

during 2006. The study does not represent the entire universe of such marketing. However, the 

Commission believes that it received data from a sufficient percentage of marketers to afford

an accurate picture of food marketing to American youth between the ages of 2 and 17 years 

old. The Commission recognizes that some companies believe the Special Order required overreporting of expenditures in certain promotional categories.19 It is also true that there was underreporting in some categories.20 The Commission recognizes that the companies included in the 

study were asked, in some instances, to provide information they do not normally compile in 

the manner requested and that they may have had to re-structure their usual accounting methods 

to comply with the Special Order. The Commission believes the companies were thorough and 

conscientious in preparing their responses, and it appreciates that effort.

Because childhood obesity is a complex problem, with many social and economic 

contributing factors, the Commission believes that all segments of society – parents, schools, 

government, health care professionals, food companies, and the media – have an obligation to 

contribute to finding and implementing solutions. This Report – with its detailed assessmen

of the kinds of foods being marketed to children and adolescents and how these foods are being 

marketed – informs one aspect of the ongoing dialogue about how to address the problem. 

Participants in the 2005 Workshop generally agreed that, regardless of the causes of childhood 

obesity, food and beverage marketers can employ a wide range of strategies to play a positive 

role in reversing the trend. Participants also recognized that consumers expect the industry to 

help both adults and children improve their diets by providing more healthy choices and helpful 

nutrition information, and by engaging in responsible marketing practices.21

Based on this study, the Commission has developed a series of recommendations for future 

action by members of the food industry, the media and entertainment industries, and others.These 

recommendations are set forth in Sections IV and V of the Report.
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

7

II. Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children 

and Adolescents

A. Introduction

The 44 reporting companies spent more than $1.6 billion to promote food and beverages to

children and adolescents in the U.S. in 2006.22 The reporting companies spent $870 million 

food marketing directed to children under 12 and just over $1 billion on food marketing directed

to adolescents ages 12 to 17. As shown in Figure II.1, approximately $300 million of t

reported child- and teen-directed expenditures was directed at age groups that encompassed both 

children and adolescents.23

The reporting companies 

promoted their youthadvertised brands to adults 

or to a general audience, as 

well as to consumers under 

age 18. Indeed, the reporting 

companies’ overall marketing 

expenditures for these brands 

exceeded $9.6 billion. Thu

the youth-directed portion of 

the marketing expenditures 

for these brands represented 

17% of total marketing 

expenditures.

Carbonated beverages, restaurant food, and breakfast cereals accounted for $1.02 billion

of the $1.6 billion, or 63% of the total spent on youth-directed food marketing. Carbonat

beverage companies reported $492 million in youth-directed expenditures, with $474 million (or

96%) of that amount directed to adolescents. Close to 24%, or $116 million, of the carbonat

beverage youth marketing consisted of in-school expenditures, the bulk of which were vending 

machine commissions paid to the schools based on beverage sales, rather than traditional 

marketing expenses. The reporting QSRs spent close to $294 million on youth marketin

and split their expenditures almost evenly between children ($161 million) and teens ($145

million), with little duplication. Breakfast cereal producers reported a total of $237 million 

Figure II.1: Reported Child and Teen Marketing Expenditures 

and Overlap

Total: $1,618,600,442

Child 2-11 Teen 12-17

Duplicative

$303,274,647 $870,328,898 $1,051,546,191
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

8

youth-directed marketing expenditures; nearly all, $229 million, of that amount was reported as

directed to children.

In terms of promotional techniques, the $745 million spent on television advertising

accounted for the greatest share (46%) of total youth-directed food and beverage marketing 

expenditures. An additional $108 million (7%) was spent on other traditional measured medi

namely radio and print advertising. The reporting companies spent $77 million on new med

– company websites, Internet, digital,24 and word-of-mouth and viral – which represented 5% 

of all reported youth-directed marketing. The companies reported spending $195 million 

in-store marketing and packaging to reach children and adolescents, accounting for 12% of 

overall youth-directed expenditures. Premium expenditures represented $67 million, or 4% 

all reported youth-directed expenditures. However, there is an important caveat to this figur

if the per unit cost of QSR toy premiums is included (see discussion in Section II.C.4.B below), 

premium expenditures jump to $427 million, ranking second only to television advertising as a

promotional technique directed to youth. An additional $241 million (15%) of youth-direct

marketing expenditures was allocated among other traditional promotional categories, such as 

product placement, movie, video, and video game advertising, cross-promotion license fees, 

athletic and event sponsorship, and celebrity endorsement fees. Finally, the companies reported 

in-school marketing expenditures of $186 million, representing 11% of all youth-directed food

marketing expenditures.

Expenditures on cross-promotions – including the use of licensed characters and tie-ins 

with television shows, motion pictures, toys, or other entertainment events – included not only 

the licensing fees but also the cost of implementing the cross-promotion across various activity 

categories, such as television and Internet advertising, premiums, and packaging. Just over 

$208 million, or 13% of all reported youth-directed marketing expenditures, involved the use of

licensed characters or other forms of cross-promotion.

B. Expenditures Analyzed by Food Category

As previously noted, the Special Order was sent to 44 food and beverage companies, each 

of which then reported child- and teen-directed marketing expenditures for any food brands 

contained within the 11 specified food categories (see supra Section I). Because expenditure 

data were reported for only four brands in the frozen desserts category, the frozen desserts 

and candy categories were combined for purposes of this Report. For each brand with youthdirected marketing expenditures, the companies also reported the total marketing expenditures 

for that brand – i.e., all dollars spent to promote the brand to consumers in 2006. In general, 

the food categories that accounted for the largest youth-directed marketing also accounted for 
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

9

the largest overall marketing for 

the reported brands. Table II.1 

presents total youth-directed 

expenditures (without duplication 

between child- and teen-directed 

expenditures) for each food 

category, ranked in descending 

order, and also expressed as a 

percentage of the total marketing 

expenditures for those brands 

within that food category.

Figure II.2 illustrates the 

youth-directed expenditures for 

each food category, as well as the 

total marketing for these reported 

brands.

Table II.1: Total Youth Marketing for Reported Brands and 

Percent of Total Marketing, By Food Category, 

Ranked by Youth Spending

Food Category

Marketing That 

Meets Youth 

Criteria ($1000)

Total Marketing 

($1000)

Percent of 

Total Marketing 

Meeting Youth 

2-17 Criteria

Carbonated Beverages 492,495 3,186,588 15.5 

Restaurant Foods 293,645 2,177,306 13.5 

Breakfast Cereal 236,553 792,042 29.9 

Juice & Non-carbonated Bevs. 146,731 1,252,022 11.7 

Snack Foods 138,713 852,342 16.3 

Candy/Froz. Desserts 117,694 456,677 25.8 

Prepared Foods & Meals 64,283 434,978 14.8 

Baked Goods 62,549 153,393 40.8 

Dairy Products 54,475 255,697 21.3 

Fruits & Vegetables 11,463 46,769 24.5 

TOTAL 1,618,600 9,607,815 16.8 

Note: Youth 2-17 marketing includes all marketing that meets either the Child 2-11 criteria or the Teen 

12-17 criteria, without duplication.

492

294 237

147 139 118 64 63 54 11

3,187

2,177

792

1,252

852

457 435

153

256

47

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

Carbonated

Beverages

Restaurant

Foods

Breakfast

Cereal

Juice & Noncarbonated

Bevs.

Snack Foods Candy/Froz.

Desserts

Prepared

Foods & Meals

Baked Goods Dairy Products Fruits &

Vegetables

Dollars (in millions)

Youth 2-17 Marketing

Total Marketing

Figure II.2: Reported Youth Marketing and Total Marketing for Reported Brands, 

Ranked by Youth Expenditures
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

10

The reporting companies with brands in the carbonated beverages, restaurant food, and 

breakfast cereal categories spent the most on food marketing to youth; spending in those three 

categories comprised 63% of all youth-directed spending. However, spending to promote 

carbonated beverages and restaurant food to children and teens constituted a relatively small 

percentage of the companies’ overall marketing budgets for their reported brands – 15.5% for 

carbonated beverages and 13.5% for restaurant food. The baked goods category had the highest 

proportion of youth-directed expenditures relative to total marketing expenditures on youthadvertised brands – 40.8% of the total.25 The juice and non-carbonated beverage category had 

the lowest proportion (11.7% of the total). Fruit and vegetable growers and producers spent 

$11.4 million on youth-directed marketing, 24.5% of their overall marketing expenditures for the

reported products.

Breakfast cereals ($229 million), restaurant food ($161 million), and snack foods ($113

million) accounted for the largest amount of expenditures directed to children under 12, 

representing more than half of the total child-directed expenditures. It is important to note, 

however, that the restaurant food figure does not include the cost of the toys distributed as

premiums with QSR children’s meals, although such premiums were a key component of QSR 

food marketing activities directed to children. As explained in detail below, toy premiums were 

excluded because they did not meet the definition of “premiums” set forth in the Special Order.

Technically, the QSRs sold these toys to consumers as part of packaged children’s meals; the 

toys were not free promotional premiums given away with the food. The Commission estimates 

that in 2006, the reporting QSRs paid $360 million for the toys distributed as premiums. If the

costs were added to other QSR expenditures, the total cost of QSR marketing to children for the 

reporting companies would increase to approximately $521 million, which would be more than

twice the marketing dollars directed to children in any other food or beverage category. The 

greatest reported expenditures directed to teens were in the carbonated beverages ($474 million),

restaurant food ($145 million), and non-carbonated beverages ($109 million) categories.

Table II.2 lists the reporting companies’ total expenditures for both child- and teen-directed 

marketing by food category and indicates the amount of overlapping expenditures. Figure 

II.3 illustrates the total marketing expenditures directed to youth in each food category and the 

breakout between child- and teen-directed expenditures, as well as the overlapping expenditures, 

for the reported brands.
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

11

Table II.2: Reported Child and Teen Marketing 

Expenditures and Overlap

Food Category

Marketing That 

Meets Child 

2-11 Criteria 

($1000)

Marketing That 

Meets Teen 

12-17 Criteria 

($1000)

Overlapping 

Marketing 

($1000)

Carbonated Beverages 77,171 474,192 58,868

Restaurant Foods 161,479 145,008 12,841

Breakfast Cereal 228,983 71,266 63,696

Juice & Non-carbonated Bevs. 70,432 108,606 32,307

Snack Foods 112,607 51,354 25,248

Candy/Froz. Desserts 60,708 98,998 42,012

Prepared Foods & Meals 59,821 17,931 13,468

Baked Goods 61,147 39,649 38,248

Dairy Products 29,572 38,307 13,404

Fruits & Vegetables 8,410 6,236 3,183

TOTAL 870,329 1,051,546 303,275

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Carbonated

Beverages

Restaurant

Foods

Breakfast

Cereal

Juice & Noncarbonated

Bevs.

Snack Foods Candy/Froz.

Desserts

Prepared

Foods & Meals

Baked Goods Dairy Products Fruits &

Vegetables

Dollars (in millions)

Teens Minus Overlap

Child/Teen Overlap

Child Minus Overlap

Figure II.3: Child and Teen Marketing, Ranked by Youth Expenditures
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

12

C. Expenditures Analyzed by Promotional Activity Groups

The Commission’s Special Order sought information about 20 separate promotional 

activity categories. For purposes of this Report, these categories have been consolidated into 

six groups: 1) Traditional Measured Media, consisting of television, radio, and print advertising; 

2) New Media, consisting of company-sponsored websites, Internet, digital, word-of-mouth, 

and viral marketing; 3) Packaging and In-Store Marketing; 4) Premiums; 5) Other Traditional 

Promotions, consisting of product placements, movie theater, video, and video game advertising, 

character or cross-promotion license fees, athletic sponsorships, celebrity endorsement fees, 

events, philanthropic activities tied to branding opportunities, and other miscellaneous marketing 

expenditures; and 6) In-School Marketing. Figure II.4 shows how the reporting companies 

allocated the $1.6 billion in youth-directed food marketing across the six promotional activity

groups. Appendix Tables C.1 and C.2 provide detailed data on these expenditures within each of 

the 20 individual promotional activity categories for each food group and each age category.26

Within these six promotional activity groups, Figure II.5 illustrates the percentage of total 

spending within each group contributed by each food category. The figure demonstrates, f

example, that carbonated and non-carbonated beverages comprised a majority of the reported inschool expenditures, that cereals had the largest reported premium expenditures, and that nearly 

all food categories used traditional measured media, primarily television. Appendix Table C.3 

provides further detail on expenditures within the six promotional activity groups.

New Media

$76.6

5%

Other Traditional Promotions

$241.2

15%

Premiums

$66.9

4%

In-School

$185.5

11%

In-Store and

Packaging/ Labeling

$195.4

12%

Traditional Measured Media

$852.9

53%

Figure II.4: Reported Total Youth Marketing Expenditures by Promotional Activity Group

(In Millions of Dollars)
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

13

By comparison, figures II.6 and II.7 illustrate the extent to which the various promotional

activities are used in each of the food categories for marketing to children and adolescents, 

respectively.

In addition to the six promotional activity groups identified above, the Report analyzes all

expenditures associated with the use of cross-promotions and celebrity endorsements. This 

category (Use of Cross-Promotions and Celebrity Endorsements) includes character licensing 

fees paid to the media property owners, as well as all costs associated with use of the licensed 

property in other promotional categories; it also includes endorsement fees paid to celebrities, 

and costs associated with promotional activities featuring the celebrity endorser. Therefore, 

the category is comprised largely of expenditures already reported in the other six groups (e.g., 

Traditional Measured Media, Packaging and In-Store Marketing, and Premiums).

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Traditional

Measured Media

($852.9 Million)

New Media

($76.6 Million)

In-Store and

Packaging/Labeling

($195.4 Million)

Premiums

($66.9 Million)

Other Traditional

Promotions

($241.2 Million)

In-School

($185.5 Million)

Dollars (in millions)

Fruits &

Vegetables

Dairy Products

Baked Goods

Prepared Foods &

Meals

Candy/Froz.

Desserts

Snack Foods

Juice & Noncarbonated Bevs.

Breakfast Cereal

Restaurant Foods

Carbonated

Beverages

Figure II.5: Food Category Share of Total Youth Spending 

For Each Promotional Activity Group
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

14

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Carbonated

Beverages

Restaurant

Foods

Breakfast

Cereal

Juice & Noncarbonated

Bevs.

Snack Foods Candy/Froz.

Desserts

Prepared

Foods & Meals

Baked Goods Dairy Products Fruits &

Vegetables

Dollars (in millions)

In-School

Other Traditional Promotions

Premiums

In-Store, Packaging/Labeling

New Media

Traditional Measured Media

Note: The child-directed expenditures shown in Figure II.6 are on a scale of zero to $250 million, whereas the teen-directed expenditures shown in Figure

II.7 are on a scale of zero to $500 million.

Figure II.7: Reported Teen Marketing Expenditures, By Promotional Activity Group

0

50

100

150

200

250

Carbonated

Beverages

Restaurant

Foods

Breakfast

Cereal

Juice & Noncarbonated

Bevs.

Snack Foods Candy/Froz.

Desserts

Prepared

Foods & Meals

Baked Goods Dairy Products Fruits &

Vegetables

Dollars (in millions)

In-School

Other Traditional Promotions

Premiums

In-Store, Packaging/Labeling

New Media

Traditional Measured Media

Figure II.6: Reported Child Marketing Expenditures, By Promotional Activity Group
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

15

1. Traditional Measured Media: Television, Radio, and Print

Traditional Measured Media (television, radio, and print) comprised 53% of youth-directed 

marketing expenditures – $853 million.27 The bulk of the reported expenditures in traditional 

measured media was for television advertising. As noted above, the reporting companies spent 

more than $745 million on youth-directed television marketing, accounting for roughly 46%

of all youth-directed marketing expenditures and 21% of the companies’ $3.6 billion in total

television advertising expenditures for their reported brands.

a. Television

The companies spent $458 million on child-directed television advertising. Breakfa

cereals accounted for more than 31% of those expenditures, or $142 million, and restaurant

food accounted for 20%, or $91 million. Other food categories with child-directed televisi

advertising were snacks ($69 million), prepared foods ($42 million), baked goods ($37 million),

and candy/frozen desserts ($33 million). Carbonated beverage companies reported $1.8 milli

in child-directed television expenditures, representing only three-tenths of 1% of their total 

television advertising expenditures for their reported brands.

The reporting companies spent $376 million on teen-directed television advertising.28 

QSRs accounted for nearly 28% of those expenditures, or $105 million, although this amount

comprised only 8% of the QSRs’ $1.3 billion in total expenditures for television advertising.

Carbonated beverage companies spent $99 million, and the candy and frozen desserts category

spent $69 million on teen-directed television advertising. Other food categories with teendirected television advertising were snacks, juice and non-carbonated beverages, and bake

goods; they reported between $20 and $25 million each in teen-directed advertising expenditures.

Figure II.8 shows the total youth-directed television expenditures for the top three food 

categories using this promotional category.

The Special Order also sought 

expenditure data for advertisements 

placed during American Idol, American 

Dad, Family Guy, Unan1mous, and The 

Simpsons. Among broadcast television 

programs, these five shows commanded

the largest percentage share of teens 12-

17 in the audience during the 2005-06 

television year, according to The Nielsen 

Company. Because these programs did 

187

149

100

309

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Restaurant Foods Breakfast Cereal Carbonated Beverages All Other

Dollars (in millions)

Figure II.8: Television Advertising Expenditures 

Top 3 For Youth
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

16

not meet the 20% teen audience share threshold,29 the reported expenditures for these shows are 

not included in the aggregated television expenditures. However, the data serve to illustrate the 

point that children and teenagers are exposed to a great deal of advertising that may be targeted 

to a general audience comprised mainly of adults. On average, more than two million teens 

watched American Idol, and more than one million watched American Dad and Family Guy

during the 2005-2006 time frame. Some of these shows were even more popular with children. 

On average, more than three million children watched American Idol, and more than one million 

watched Unan1mous and The Simpsons. (By comparison, for the same year, the 2-11 audience 

for Nickelodeon’s popular youth-directed show SpongeBob SquarePants ranged from 576,000 to 

over 2.4 million, with an average child audience of about 2 million.30)

Most of the companies that advertised on these five broadcast programs stated that their ads

were not child- or teen-directed. One carbonated beverage company, however, acknowledged 

that ad placements on these shows were part of its marketing strategy to reach teens.31 In 

addition, at least two companies have affiliated their brands with shows such as American Idol in 

order to reach children and teens – one through toy premiums for children’s meals32 and the other 

through sponsorship of the American Idol Live! Tour.33

Advertising expenditures on these 

top five broadcast shows – a total of

$116 million – were reported for all food

categories except fruits and vegetables. 

As shown in Figure II.9, QSRs reported 

$60 million, and carbonated beverage

companies reported $41 million; these two

categories combined accounted for 87% 

of reported expenditures for the top five

shows.

b. Radio and Pri

Child-directed expenditures for radio and print ads were relatively small in comparison 

to those for television. Only in the juice and non-carbonated beverage category were there 

significant expenditures – $2.5 million for child-directed radio advertising.34 Teen-directed 

radio advertising was more significant, with carbonated beverage companies spending more than

$41 million, and QSRs nearly $30 million. Candy/frozen dessert and non-carbonated bevera

companies reported more than a million dollars each for teen-directed radio advertising.

60

41

8 7 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Restaurant Foods Carbonated Beverages Juice & Noncarbonated Bevs.All Other

Dollars (in millions) Figure II.9: Television Advertising Expenditures on 

Top 5 Teen (12-17) Broadcast Shows
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

17

For print advertising, five food categories – breakfast cereals, candy/frozen desserts, dairy,

baked goods, and restaurant food – reported more than $1 million of child-directed expenditures;

spending for candy and frozen desserts was $4 million. Dairy products accounted for 52% 

all reported teen-directed print advertising, with expenditures of $11.4 million. In five oth

categories – candy/frozen desserts, baked goods, carbonated beverages, juice and non-carbonated 

beverages, and restaurant food – between $1 million and $3 million was spent on teen-directed

print advertising for the reported brands.

2. New Media: Websites, Internet, Digital, Word-of-Mouth, and Viral 

Marketing

New Media, which includes company-sponsored websites, Internet, digital, word-ofmouth,35 and viral marketing,36 accounted for approximately 5% of all reported youth-directed 

marketing expenditures. Of the $77 million spent on these activities for the reported brand

$32 million was for company-sponsored websites; $39 million was for advertising on thirdparty Internet sites; and $1 million was for other digital marketing, such as mobile marketing.

Reported expenditures for youth-directed word-of-mouth or viral marketing were $5 million.37

Figure II.10 shows the top three food 

categories with youth-directed promotions 

in new media.

Breakfast cereals accounted for the 

highest spending on company-sponsored 

websites directed to youth ($6.7 million),

followed by carbonated beverages, 

snack foods, and candy/frozen desserts, 

which each had expenditures between 

$5 and $5.9 million.38 With regard to 

other Internet advertising, $12.1 million was spent on teen-directed advertising for carbonated

beverages; $7.5 million was spent on breakfast cereal advertising directed to children; and $6.7

million was spent on youth-directed advertising for snack foods. A focus on expenditure data, 

however, may underestimate the degree to which food and beverage marketers used the Internet 

to reach children and teens – both through online display advertising and company-sponsored 

websites featuring entertainment content like “advergames.”39 Accordingly, Appendix D to this 

Report explores the amount of display advertising for food and beverages that appeared on childand teen-oriented websites during 2006, as well as traffic on company websites that feature

branded entertainment and activities directed to children and teens.

21

14 13

29

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Carbonated Beverages Breakfast Cereal Snack Foods All Other

Dollars (in millions)

Figure II.10: New Media 

Top 3 for Youth
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

18

The snack, candy/frozen desserts, dairy products, baked goods, and carbonated beverage 

categories accounted for digital expenditures ranging from $100,000 to $434,000, most of which

was teen directed. The companies reported spending just under $5 million on youth-direct

viral and word-of-mouth marketing.40 With the exception of $392,000 that the QSRs report

as child directed, word-of-mouth expenditures were primarily teen directed.41 Teen-directed 

word-of-mouth expenditures included $2 million for carbonated beverages, $1.3 million for dairy

products, and about $811,000 for juice and non-carbonated beverages.

3. Packaging and In-Store Marketing

The companies reported that they spent more than $195 million on packaging and in-store

marketing to reach the youth audience.42 In every food category, a total of more than $3 milli

was spent on packaging and in-store marketing to reach children. QSRs led spending in these 

two promotional categories with nearly $22 million directed to children, followed by companies

producing snacks ($18.2 million), breakfast cereals ($14.3 million), carbonated beverages and

candy/frozen desserts ($11.6 million each), and juice and non-carbonated beverages ($10.2

million). Relative to overall in-store and packaging expenditures for the reported brands, the 

child-directed expenditures for these two categories ranged from 5% for carbonated beverages to 

70% for dairy products.43

In the carbonated beverage category, nearly $90 million was spent on teen-directed

packaging and in-store marketing for the reported brands, while teen-directed restaurant food 

expenditures totaled $280,000. T

carbonated beverages’ $90 million in teendirected expenditures represented 67% of 

teen-directed expenditures, and 46% of all 

youth-directed expenditures, for packaging 

and in-store marketing for the reported 

brands.

Figure II.11 presents the top three 

food categories in terms of total costs on 

packaging and in-store marketing directed 

to youth ages 2-17.

91

22 22

61

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Carbonated Beverages Restaurant Foods Snack Foods All Other

Dollars (in millions)

Figure II.11: In-Store and Packaging/Labeling 

Top 3 for Youth
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

19

4. Premiums

a. Reported Expen

The companies reported $67

million to reach youth consumers 

through premiums, accounting for 4% 

of all reported youth-directed marketing 

expenditures. Far and away, breakfast 

cereals accounted for the largest 

expenditures on premiums. As shown in 

Figure II.12, cereal companies reported 

close to $40 million in child-directed

premiums, representing 93% of all 

expenditures on premiums for the reported breakfast cereal brands and 69% of child-directed 

premium expenditures across all food and beverage categories. For other food categories, 

companies reported no more than $4 million and as little as $450,000 on child-directed premium

expenditures. Some companies explained that a cross-promotional partner, such as a toy or 

media company, often covered the premium costs, such as sweepstakes prizes or DVD rebates. 

In addition, as noted previously and explained below, the reported premium expenditures do not 

include the QSRs’ self-liquidating premiums (toys), which were a large component of childdirected marketing for QSRs.

b. Self-Liquidating Pre

The Special Order instructed companies with expenditures for premiums directed to children 

or adolescents to deduct payments made by consumers for the premium item. As a consequence, 

premiums distributed as self-liquidating promotions – where the companies’ premium costs 

were entirely covered by the incremental revenue generated by the promotions – would not have 

triggered a reportable expense. Nevertheless, such promotions can be an important, indeed a 

critical, component of a QSR food marketing campaign directed to children.44

According to data obtained from The NPD Group, in 2006, QSRs sold more than 1.2 billion 

children’s meals with toys to children ages 12 and under, accounting for 20% of all child traffic

at QSRs. As shown in Figure II.13, the ten QSR chains responding to the FTC’s Special Order 

(the “Select QSRs”)45 delivered more than 900 million of those meals. For those Select QSRs, 

Figure II.14 illustrates that children’s meals with toys accounted for nearly 38% of the meals 

served to children.

40

4 4

10

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Breakfast Cereal Snack Foods Prepared Foods &

Meals

All Other

Dollars (in millions)

Figure II.12: Premiums 

Top 3 for Children
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

20

Based on an assumed average unit 

cost of 40 cents per toy,46 it is estimated 

that the Select QSRs spent more than 

$360 million to acquire the toys promoted

with the children’s meals. If the Select 

QSRs’ expenditures on self-liquidating 

premiums were added to their reported 

child-directed premium expenditures, 

premiums as a child-directed promotional 

technique would rank second only to 

television – $427 million for premium

promotions versus $458 million for

television advertising. The Select QSRs 

reported spending $161 million on all

child-directed marketing. If their toy 

acquisition costs were added to this 

total, child-directed marketing by QSRs 

would exceed $520 million – more than

twice the amount spent on child-directed 

marketing by any other food category.

5. Other Traditional 

Promotional Activities 

The 44 companies reported youthdirected expenditures for various other 

promotional activities for which expenditures are not systematically tracked by commercial data 

companies. These “non-measured” activities included product placements; ads appearing before 

or within a video game or preceding a home video or theatrical movie feature; license fees paid 

to use a third-party animated character in advertising or for cross-promotional arrangements; 

sponsorships of sports teams and athletes; fees paid for celebrity endorsements; public events; 

advertising or other product branding in conjunction with philanthropic endeavors; and other 

miscellaneous marketing expenditures. Together, these non-measured activities accounted 

for $241 million or 15% of all reported youth-directed marketing expenditures. As sho

in Appendix Table C.1, no single one of these activities exceeded 6% of total youth-directed 

marketing expenditures. The top three food categories in terms of spending on these other 

traditional media for youth 2-17 are shown in Figure II.15.

117

486

1,224

93

398

901

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

Kids' Meals with Toys

Purchases

99¢ or $1.00 Menu Item

Purchases

Older Kids' Meal Purchases

Child Traffic (# of QSR visits in millions)

All QSRs

Select QSRs

Source: The NPD Group/CREST

Figure II.13: 2006 Child Traffic for Kids’ Meals with 

Toys, 99¢ or $1.00 Menu Items, and Older Kids’ 

Meals (All QSRs versus Select QSRs)

37.6

19.5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

All QSRs Select QSRs

% of Child QSR Traffic for Kids' Meals with Toys Source: The NPD Group/CREST

Figure II.14: Percent of 2006 Child Traffic 

for Kids’ Meals with Toys 

(All QSRs vs. Select QSRs)
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

21

a. Product Placements and Movie Theater, Video, and V

Advertis

The companies reported spending more than $5 million on youth-directed product

placements. Some companies explained that product placement expenses encompassed the 

cost of the product only; other companies reported expenditures for hiring agencies to negotiate 

opportunities for product placements. Only carbonated beverage companies spent a significa

amount on product placements – just over $4.5 million for teen-directed placements, which

comprised 67% of what the carbonated beverage companies spent in total on product placements 

for the reported brands.

The companies spent $8.4 million on youth-directed advertising preceding or appearing

in video games or preceding movies. The prepared foods category accounted for the greatest 

expenditures on movie theater, video, and video game advertising to reach children ($2.4

million), representing 95% of all expenditures by the reporting companies on such advertising 

for prepared foods. Candy/frozen dessert makers reported the largest expenditures on movie 

theater, video, and video game advertising to reach the teen market ($3 million),47 representing 

84% of all such expenditures in the candy/frozen dessert category for the reported brands.

b. Character or Cross-Promotional 

Youth-directed expenditures for character or cross-promotional licensing fees were reported 

in all food categories, for a total of $46 million. Although these fees comprised only 3% of a

youth-directed marketing expenditures, several companies reported that many to most of their 

cross-promotional arrangements did not require them to pay fees. Breakfast cereal companies 

reported the largest amount of child-directed licensing fees ($12.4 million), followed by the

QSRs ($11.5 million) and snack food producers ($8.7 million).

117

37

21

67

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Carbonated Beverages Restaurant Foods Juice & Noncarbonated Bevs.All Other

Dollars (in millions)

Figure II.15: Other Traditional Promotions 

Top 3 for Youth
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

22

The Special Order required the companies not only to report license fees, but also to identify 

the costs reported in other promotional activity categories associated with implementing the 

license, such as the cost of television ads or product packaging featuring a licensed character. 

The youth-directed license fees represented 22% of the breakfast cereal companies’ total youthdirected expenditures associated with using character and cross-promotional licenses. Such fees 

accounted for 15.7% of all youth-directed implementation costs in the restaurant food category 

and 34% in the snack food category. By contrast, 38% of the fruit and vegetable producers’ 

youth-directed expenditures associated with character and cross-promotional licensing 

arrangements were attributable to license fees. For an analysis of the overall costs associated 

with implementation of licensed cross-promotions, see Section II.C.7, below.

c. Athletic Sponsorships and Celebrity E

Nearly all of the food and beverage categories used athletic sponsorships48 and celebrity 

endorsements49 as promotional techniques, and these were primarily directed to teens. The 

Special Order asked the companies to report the fees paid to celebrities to serve as endorsers, 

which are discussed here. In addition, companies were required to identify expenditures already 

reported in other promotional categories that represented the use of a celebrity endorsement, such 

as the costs associated with television ads or an event featuring a celebrity endorser. See Section 

II.C.7, below, for a discussion of the total costs associated with use of celebrity endorsements.

Youth-directed expenditures on athletic sponsorships and celebrity endorsement fees for 

the reported brands totaled $37.6 million. Carbonated and non-carbonated beverage compani

spent more than $27 million on teen-directed expenditures in these categories (including $3.7

million in celebrity endorsement fees), representing about 14% of the total amount they spent on 

these promotional activities for the reported brands. The QSRs reported nearly $4.6 million f

teen-directed athletic sponsorships and celebrity endorsement fees, and $1.2 million for similar,

child-directed activities. These teen-directed expenditures comprised only 6% – and the childdirected expenditures only 1.6% – of the QSRs’ total expenditures in these two promotional 

activity categories.

d. Events Mar

Companies in all food categories reported expenditures for event marketing across the 

youth spectrum.50 The largest amounts reported for child-directed event marketing came from 

QSRs ($7.5 million), juice and non-carbonated beverage companies ($6 million), and baked

goods producers ($4.8 million). The largest amounts reported for teen-directed event marketi

came from the carbonated beverages (nearly $65 million), juice and non-carbonated beverages

($7.8 million), dairy ($4.1 million) and candy/frozen desserts ($3.9 million) companies. As
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

23

percentage of total expenditures on event marketing for the reported brands, the baked goods 

and breakfast cereal companies spent the most to reach children; approximately 100% of event 

marketing expenditures for these reported brands were child directed, compared to 30% for the 

QSRs. For teen-directed event marketing, the ratios were 81% (carbonated beverages), 52% 

(juice and non-carbonated beverages), 45% (candy/frozen desserts), and 41% (dairy products).

e. Philanthro

Seven food and beverage categories engaged in child- or teen-directed advertising or other 

product branding activities in conjunction with their philanthropic endeavors. The Special 

Order required the companies to report the costs associated with both monetary and in-kind 

donations that were conditioned upon or made in combination with the display of trade names, 

logos, or other branded materials, but not the amount of the donation itself. QSRs spent the 

most on child-directed philanthropic marketing – $10.2 million, which was 89% of their overall

expenditures on marketing associated with philanthropy for the reported brands. Carbonated 

beverage companies spent $3.7 million to reach a youth audience, amounting to 51% of

their total philanthropy-associated marketing expenditures for the reported brands. The noncarbonated beverage companies spent $2.7 million, or 85% of their philanthropy-associated

marketing expenditures for the reported brands, to reach a youth audience. Fruit and vegetable 

producers spent $1.8 million to reach youths, or 93% of their philanthropy-associated marketing

expenditures for the reported brands.

6. In-School Marketing

The companies spent nearly $186 million in youth-directed in-school marketing

expenditures for the reported brands, which accounted for 11.5% of overall youth-directed 

marketing expenditures, and 67% of the total expended on in-school marketing for the reported 

brands (including marketing at colleges and universities). As shown in Figure II.16, more 

than 90% of the youth-directed inschool expenditures was reported in the 

carbonated beverages and juice and noncarbonated beverages categories ($169

million combined). The QSRs reported 

$9.3 million in child-directed in-school

marketing, and the dairy promoters 

reported nearly $4.8 million in teendirected in-school marketing.

116

53

9 7 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Carbonated Beverages Juice & Noncarbonated Bevs.Restaurant Foods All Other

Dollars (in millions)

Figure II.16: In-School 

Top 3 for Youth
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

24

Under the Special Order, in-school marketing included advertising or promotional activities 

in or around a pre-school, elementary school, middle or junior high school, and high school, 

including cafeterias, vending machines, school events, athletic events or fields, school buses,

and Channel One or other closed circuit television channels. The 44 companies also had to 

report payments to schools or school systems pursuant to food and beverage contracts, as well 

as philanthropic donations to schools or particular school clubs, teams, events, or programs. 

The majority of in-school marketing expenses consisted of payments made or items provided to 

schools under “competitive” food and beverage contracts, for products sold outside the school 

meal program. The Commission recognizes that some of the expenditures captured by the inschool marketing category are not traditional marketing techniques aimed at children or teens. 

Nevertheless, the payments and items provided to the schools allow access to the youth and are 

crucial to the food sales directed to youth in the schools.

The Commission obtained expenditure data for in-school marketing from the four largest 

bottlers of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, as well as the beverage producers.51 The 

QSRs provided the Commission with some data on expenditures associated with the sale of their 

foods in schools. These data are likely under-reported, however, because in-school sales of QSR 

foods tend to be conducted by QSR franchisees at the local or regional level, from whom the 

Commission did not seek data.52 Likewise, the snack foods, prepared foods and meals, baked 

goods, and candy/frozen desserts categories accounted for few in-school expenditures because 

the vending contracts for these products are often coordinated by local and regional wholesale 

food distributors from whom the Commission did not seek expenditure data.

7. Use of Cross-Promotions and Celebrity Endorsements

a. Licensed Cross-Prom

The companies provided expenditure data on both licensing fees paid for and expenditures 

associated with implementing marketing campaigns incorporating a licensed character or other 

cross-promotion. A typical cross-promotion featuring a licensed movie or television character 

tie-in involved expenditures for a license fee, television advertising, packaging and in-store 

marketing, premiums, and company websites. See Section III for further discussion of crosspromotions.

As shown in Appendix Table C.4, the companies spent $208 million on youth-directed

marketing campaigns that used cross-promotions, representing 13% of all youth-directed 

spending. As shown in Table II.3, cross-promotional expenditures were a substantially larger 

portion of some food and beverage companies’ child-directed marketing expenditures. For 

example, the fruit and vegetable producers spent 47% of their child-directed expenditures on 
Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

25

promotions that used crosspromotions. For QSRs, the 

cost of promotional activities 

that used cross-promotions 

comprised 46% of their childdirected marketing expenditures. 

In total, more than 78% of all 

cross-promotion expenditures for 

the reported brands were youth 

directed.

In terms of dollars 

expended, Table II.3 shows that 

QSRs reported $74.4 million in

child-directed cross-promotions, 

followed by producers of 

breakfast cereals ($56.2 million),

snack foods ($17.1 million),

prepared foods ($8.6 million),

dairy products ($8.5 million),

and baked goods ($5.6 million).

The QSR figure would exceed

$430 million if self-liquidating

premiums were considered a 

reportable expense under the 

Special Order.53 These sums 

dwarf the $4 million spent by

the fruit and vegetable producers 

to implement child-directed 

cross-promotions, as shown in 

Figure II.17.

Companies in several food and beverage categories reported teen-directed expenditures for 

cross-promotions that were not substantially duplicative of expenses reported as child directed. 

These categories included snack foods ($12.7 million), candy/frozen desserts ($3.2 million), and

carbonated beverages ($8.9 million).

Table II.3: Reported Child and Teen Marketing That Uses 

Cross-Promotions, Ranked by Percentage

Child 2-11

Food Category

Total Reported 

Child 2-11 

Marketing ($1000)

Reported Marketing That Uses

Cross-Promotions

Value ($1000) Percentage

Fruits & Vegetables 8,410 3,977 47.3

Restaurant Foods 161,479 74,404 46.1

Dairy Products 29,572 8,474 28.7

Breakfast Cereal 228,983 56,247 24.6

Snack Foods 112,607 17,123 15.2

Prepared Foods & Meals 59,821 8,584 14.3

Baked Goods 61,147 5,648 9.2

Candy/Froz. Desserts 60,708 4,224 7.0

Juice & Non-carbonated Bevs. 70,432 3,343 4.7

Carbonated Beverages 77,171 225 0.3

TOTAL 870,329 182,249 20.9

Teen 12-17

Food Category

Total Reported 

Teen 12-17 

Marketing ($1000)

Reported Marketing That Uses

Cross-Promotions

Value ($1000) Percentage

Breakfast Cereal 71,266 32,495 45.6

Snack Foods 51,354 12,660 24.7

Fruits & Vegetables 6,236 958 15.4

Dairy Products 38,307 5,315 13.9

Baked Goods 39,649 3,292 8.3

Prepared Foods & Meals 17,931 1,220 6.8

Candy/Froz. Desserts 98,998 3,169 3.2

Carbonated Beverages 474,192 8,909 1.9

Restaurant Foods 145,008 1,420 1.0

Juice & Non-carbonated Bevs. 108,606 658 0.6

TOTAL 1,051,546 70,096 6.7
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

26

b. Celebrity Endor

The companies were asked to provide both the fees paid to celebrities to serve as endorsers, 

as well as the expenditures for marketing campaigns that involved the use of a celebrity 

endorsement in other promotional categories, such as in television advertising.54 As shown in 

Appendix Table C.4, the companies spent a total of $26.8 million on youth-directed promotions

featuring celebrity endorsers, representing 1.7% of all youth-directed spending. Thus, 

implementation of celebrity endorsements represented a much smaller part of youth-directed 

marketing than did the implementation of character licenses and other cross-promotions.

The dairy promoters reported the largest expenditures on teen-directed campaigns featuring 

celebrity endorsements, which totaled $13.9 million (including $275,000 in endorsement

fees), and represented 44% of all celebrity endorsement costs for the reported dairy products. 

Companies marketing candy and frozen desserts reported more than $5 million for use of teendirected celebrity endorsements (including $1.3 million in fees), accounting for nearly 97% of

all marketing that used celebrity endorsements for the reported candy/frozen dessert brands. 

Additionally, QSRs reported $1.9 million for youth-directed celebrity endorsements (including

$402,000 in endorsement fees), accounting for 56% of all use of celebrity endorsements for

the reporting QSRs. Appendix Table C.4 contains detailed data on expenditures for each age 

category for marketing using celebrity endorsers.

0

50

100

150

200

250

Carbonated

Beverages

Restaurant

Foods

Breakfast

Cereal

Juice &

Noncarbonated

Bevs.

Snack Foods Candy/Froz.

Desserts

Prepared

Foods & Meals

Baked Goods Dairy Products Fruits &

Vegetables

Dollars (in millions)

Uses Cross-Promotions

No Cross-Promotions

Figure II.17: Reported Child Marketing Expenditures 

and Portion Using Cross-Promotions
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

27

III. Food Marketing Activities Directed to 

Children and Adolescents

A. Introduction

In response to the Special Order, the Commission received thousands of samples and 

descriptions of advertising and promotional activities from the 44 target companies. These 

samples covered the entire spectrum of advertising and promotional categories covered by 

the Special Order: television, radio, and print advertising; company-sponsored websites, ads 

on third-party Internet sites, and other digital advertising, such as email and text messaging; 

packaging, labeling, point-of-purchase displays and other in-store marketing tools; advertising 

and product placement in movies, videos, and video games; premium distribution, contests, and 

sweepstakes; cross-promotions and celebrity endorsements; marketing activities in schools; 

viral and word-of-mouth marketing; sponsorship of events, sports teams, and athletes; and 

philanthropic activity tied to branding opportunities.

The companies provided samples for those activities for which they had reportable 

expenditures, as discussed in Section II, as well as for activities that met the Commission’s 

criteria for marketing directed to children and adolescents but for which there were no reportable 

expenditures. In some cases, particularly for new media such as the Internet, promotional 

activities may have required little or no financial investment in order to reach the intended

audience.

Broadly speaking, nearly every food product category engaged the full spectrum of 

advertising and promotional activity formats. One exception was the fruits and vegetables 

product category, which tended not to use the traditional media of television, radio, and print. 

Fruit and vegetable companies did, however, use licensed characters and marketed them in 

much the same way as other food and beverage companies: via company websites, in-store 

displays, and product packaging. Third-party licensed characters and company proprietary 

“spokescharacters” – animated versions of animals, people, or even the food itself – were used 

heavily in marketing to children, but also were used to reach teens. Celebrity endorsers, on the 

other hand, were almost exclusively employed in advertising directed to teens and “tweens” 

(those between the ages of 8 or 9 and 13 or 14). For the most part, other promotional activities 

reported were used to reach both children and teens.55

The responses to the Special Order show that product marketing campaigns directed to 

youth typically are fully integrated: a child might first see an ad on television for a food produc
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

28

the child would then encounter related promotional displays or product packaging in a retail 

setting or restaurant; the child might receive a related toy or other premium immediately upon 

purchase of the product or might be directed to the product website to enter a package UPC or 

other code to participate in sweepstakes or to receive “points” redeemable for prizes or digital 

content, such as ringtones; once on the website, the child might interact with the brand through 

online games or by sending “e-cards” (electronic greeting cards) or “send-to-a-friend” viral 

marketing messages to others.

Part B of this Section of the Report focuses on marketing activities such as crosspromotions, new media, unmeasured traditional promotional activities, and in-school marketing 

that previously have not been systematically analyzed across the youth spectrum for broad 

categories of food products. Thus, use of traditional measured media, such as television, is 

described only in the context of cross-promotions.

In addition, Part C of this Section provides an overview of market research reported by 

companies on the success and impact of various promotional techniques directed to youth. 

Finally, in Part D of this Section, the Commission reports on information provided by the 

companies relating to advertising campaigns and techniques that focused on particular gender, 

racial, or ethnic segments of the population. Companies provided much of this information 

on a general audience basis, with a small amount examining a target audience of children and 

adolescents.

B.	Specific Promotional Activities

1. Cross-Promotions and Third-Party Licensed Characters

One of the most consistent themes in advertising directed to children and adolescents – 

appearing in nearly all promotional formats and for nearly all product categories – was the 

use of cross-promotions and third-party licensed characters to promote foods, beverages, and 

restaurants. Companies used cross-promotions to advertise nearly every type of food product, 

including QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, candy, snacks, and beverages, as well as 

fruits and vegetables and dairy products, and the campaigns generally were integrated across 

promotional formats. The focus of a cross-promotional campaign was typically a child- or teenoriented movie or television program, but cross-promotional arrangements were also developed 

for toys,56 websites,57 theme parks and other children’s entertainment venues,58 video games and 

consoles,59 and youth and professional athletic leagues.60

Media companies often entered into cross-promotional arrangements with multiple 

food companies to promote an individual film or television program. Thus, characters fr
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

29

Nickelodeon’s Nick and nickjr programming were used to promote QSR children’s meals, 

canned pastas and soups, snack crackers, snack chips, cookies, clementines, baby carrots, bagged 

spinach, yogurt, macaroni and cheese, lunch kits, children’s frozen meals, fruit snacks, and 

breakfast cereals. Animated characters from Cartoon Network programming appeared on labels 

and packaging for QSR children’s meals, fruit snacks, snack crackers, yogurt, macaroni and 

cheese, breakfast cereals, frozen desserts, and fruits and vegetables. Sesame Street licensed its 

characters only to fruit and vegetable companies as part of its Healthy Habits for Life program. 

Disney characters appeared on packages and store displays for fruit snacks, breakfast cereals, 

candy, yogurt, frozen waffles, toaster pastries, macaroni and cheese, and fruits and vegetables.

Multi-brand food companies often included several individual food products, spanning multiple 

food categories, in their cross-promotions. For example, one packaged food company utilized 

cross-promotions with the films Cars, Over the Hedge, Ice Age 2, and Open Season to market 

multiple products, including its children’s frozen meal, pudding, canned pasta, and popcorn 

products.

Below is a comprehensive list of the media properties that the target companies reported 

using in cross-promotions to children and adolescents in 2006:

• The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (canned pastas and soups,

snack chips)

• American Idol (candy, cookies, toaster pastries)

• The Ant Bully (QSR children’s meals, non-carbonated beverages)

• Avatar (QSR children’s meals, fruit snacks)

• The Backyardigans (fruit snacks, fruit)

• Barbie: Fairytopia (breakfast cereals, toaster pastries)

• Batman (canned pastas and soups, fruit snacks)

• Blue’s Clues (breakfast cereals, fruit snacks, fruit, yogurt)

• Care Bears (fruit snacks)

• Cars (QSR children’s meals, fruit snacks, snack bars, breakfast cereals, toaster 

pastries, frozen waffles, canned pasta, pudding, cookies, snack crackers, popcorn,

yogurt, non-carbonated beverages)

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (candy)

• Charlotte’s Web (QSR children’s meals)

• The Cheetah Girls (macaroni and cheese)

• Chicken Little (fruit snacks)
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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• The Chronicles of Narnia (QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, cereal bars, 

snack chips, fruit snacks, toaster pastries, packaged salads)

• Clifford the Big Red Dog (QSR children’s meals, fruit juice, snack crackers, 

breakfast cereal)

• Curious George (QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, snack cakes, fruit juice, 

bananas)

• Danny Phantom (canned pastas and soups, children’s frozen meals, frozen desserts)

• Disney Princesses (breakfast cereals, fruit snacks, yogurt, frozen waffles, toaster

pastries)

• Doogal (QSR children’s meals)

• Dora the Explorer (breakfast cereals, canned pastas and soups, snack crackers, fruit 

snacks, cookies, fruit, yogurt)

• Dragon Booster (QSR children’s meals)

• El Chavo animated series (cookies)

• Elmo and other Sesame Street characters (fruits and vegetables)

• The Fairly OddParents (snack chips, macaroni and cheese, fruit snacks, frozen 

desserts)

• Finding Nemo (fruit snacks)

• Flushed Away (QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, snack bars, snack crackers)

• Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends (QSR children’s meals)

• Go, Diego, Go! (fruit snacks, yogurt)

• Goosebumps (QSR children’s meals)

• Happy Feet (QSR children’s meals, snack crackers, breakfast cereals, yogurt, fruit 

snacks, baked goods, carbonated and non-carbonated beverages)

• Hello Kitty (fruit snacks)

• Holly Hobbie and Friends (QSR children’s meals)

• I Spy (QSR children’s meals, fruit juice)

• Ice Age 2 (QSR children’s meals, yogurt, fruit snacks, cereal bars, breakfast cereals, 

toaster pastries, frozen waffles, children’s frozen meals, canned pasta, pudding,

cookies, snack crackers, popcorn, carbonated and non-carbonated beverages)

• King Kong (fruit snacks, snack cakes, cookies, carbonated beverages)

• Klutz (QSR children’s meals)

• Lady and the Tramp (carbonated beverages, snack cakes)
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

31

• Leroy & Stitch (fruits and vegetables)

• The Lion King (fruit snacks)

• Little Einsteins (breakfast cereals)

• The Little Mermaid (QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, candy)

• The Littlest Pet Shop (QSR children’s meals)

• Looney Tunes (QSR children’s meals, fruit snacks, fruits and vegetables)

• Madagascar (fruit snacks)

• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (breakfast cereals)

• Monster House (frozen pizza)

• Monsters, Inc. (fruit snacks)

• My Little Pony (fruit snacks)

• ¡Mucha Lucha! (fruit snacks, frozen desserts)

• Nanny McPhee (food service pizza and burritos served in schools)

• Nintendo characters such as Mario and Donkey Kong (QSR children’s meals)

• One Tree Hill (carbonated beverages)

• Open Season (QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, children’s frozen meals, 

popcorn)

• Over the Hedge (QSR children’s meals, yogurt, snack chips, snack cakes, popcorn, 

carbonated and non-carbonated beverages)

• Paz the Penguin (fruits and vegetables)

• Peanuts (QSR children’s meals)

• Pirates of the Caribbean (QSR children’s meals, candy, frozen waffles, fruit

snacks, breakfast cereals, lunch kits, popcorn, non-carbonated beverages, fruits and 

vegetables)

• Polar Express (popcorn)

• Robots the Movie (fruit snacks)

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (breakfast cereals, snack cakes)

• Rugrats (fruit snacks)

• Scooby-Doo (breakfast cereals, snack crackers, macaroni and cheese, fruit snacks, 

yogurt)

• Shrek (breakfast cereals, macaroni and cheese, yogurt, fruit snacks, snack crackers, 

cookies)
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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• Sony PlayStation characters Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot (popcorn)

• Spider-Man (QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, cereal bars, cookies, pancakes, 

fruit snacks, snack crackers, snack chips, sliced cheese, macaroni and cheese, frozen 

desserts, non-carbonated beverages)

• SpongeBob SquarePants (QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, snack crackers, 

macaroni and cheese, lunch kits, fruit snacks, cookies, yogurt, fruits and vegetables)

• Star Wars Episode III (fruit snacks)

• Strawberry Shortcake (QSR children’s meals)

• Stuart Little 3 (QSR children’s meals)

• Superman Returns (QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, milk, cereal bars, snack 

chips, snack crackers, fruit snacks, packaged pasta, carbonated and non-carbonated 

beverages)

• Surf’s Up (popcorn snack)

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (fruit snacks, fruit juice)

• Trollz (QSR children’s meals)

• The Wiggles (fruit juice)

• The Wild (QSR children’s meals)

• Winnie the Pooh (fruit snacks)

• Winx (fruit snacks, fruit juice)

• Xiaolin Showdown (breakfast cereals)

• Yu-Gi-Oh! (QSR children’s meals)

• Zoom (QSR children’s meals)

a. Anchoring Cross-Promotions with Traditional M

Food and beverage companies and restaurants frequently anchored their cross-promotions 

in traditional measured media, particularly in television advertising. Companies reported using 

television ads as part of their cross-promotions for a wide variety of food products, including 

QSR children’s meals, breakfast cereals, children’s frozen meals, frozen waffles, toaster

pastries, cookies, candy, snack chips, macaroni and cheese, fruit snacks, yogurt, and spinach. 

Print advertising of cross-promotions was used for snack cakes, milk, carbonated beverages, 

and canned soup. Occasionally, products were embedded in the television program or film 

enhance the cross-promotion. For example, one carbonated beverage was cross-promoted, via 

packaging, in-store advertising, and the Internet, with the teen television drama One Tree Hill. 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

33

Products were shown within the program, in addition to being advertised in standard television 

ads appearing during or adjacent to the show.

b. Reliance on Packaging and In-Store Di

Companies frequently relied on packaging and in-store displays as mechanisms for 

advertising their cross-promotions. Typically, media companies permitted use of their 

copyrighted images from films and television programs directly on product packaging and

displays. These images usually were featured prominently on the front of the package, with 

additional, related content, such as games, trivia, and sweepstakes or contest information, 

provided on the back. Packaging also advertised the availability of promotion-related premiums 

inside the package or through the product website. In other cases, the packaging itself served 

as the premium, such as a popcorn carton that had a cut-out picture frame featuring third-party 

licensed characters, or a candy dispenser that was also a toy thematically tied to the promoted 

film.

Some product labels explicitly encouraged consumers to watch or buy the particular cartoon 

or movie being promoted. Other packaging directed the consumer to a website to play a game 

featuring the licensed character. In a few examples, a licensed character provided nutritional 

messages. In addition, some produce companies utilized licensed characters to promote fruit and 

vegetables in stores by using character images on produce bags and placing stickers or tags on 

loose items.

How it work

A fruit and vegetable company used a cross-promotion with Discovery Kids 

character Paz the Penguin to get children’s attention in stores and to remind parents 

to buy fresh produce for their children. The character’s name and image were 

featured on hanging tags used in cold-case produce sections. In-store events with 

Paz the Penguin in 10 cities featured give-away activities for children, stickers, 

coupons for parents, and product samples.

Many supermarkets and QSRs displayed materials cross-promoting movies, movie DVDs, 

television events, athletic teams or events, or sweepstakes. One cereal cross-promoted with a 

movie had stand-alone kiosks featuring an interactive video game that children could play. Noncarbonated beverage displays at restaurants and convenience stores promoted the chance to win 

video game consoles, children’s books, or free children’s meals. Posters at QSRs promoted toy 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

34

availability with purchase of a children’s meal. Frequently, cross-promotions involved rebate 

offers that were advertised on product packaging and on point-of-sale displays.

c. Rewarding Children and Teens with Pre

A key feature of a cross-promotional campaign was nearly always the distribution to 

children of toys, stickers, games, or other items, often found in packages and QSR children’s 

meals, or available with proofs of purchase or by inputting a package code on a food product 

website. QSRs in particular were apt to use toys linked to cross-promotions of new movies, 

popular children’s television programming, or classic children’s toys as a means of marketing 

their “kids’ meals” to children. Toys were generally sold in a series, encouraging children to 

purchase multiple meals so they could collect each separate toy. Premiums included figurines 

film and television characters, plush toys, toy trucks and cars, puzzles and games, including toys

for outdoor activities, and functional objects such as calculators, rulers, watches, wristbands, and 

water bottles. Restaurants also frequently structured their cross-promotions to include toys that 

would appeal to both girls and boys, such as a promotion for one quick-service “kids’ meal” that 

gave children the option of a G.I. Joe toy or a Bratz toy, and another promotion that offered the 

option of a Polly Pocket fashion doll or a toy Hummer vehicle.

Packaged food companies also frequently distributed thematically linked premium items 

with their products. Examples included trading cards, back-to-school kits, movie posters, 

stickers, iron-ons, video games, activity books, bobble-head dolls, toys, pencil toppers, bowls 

and utensils, personalized license plates, key chains, and figurines, which typically carried

branding for the media property and/or the food brand.

For many DVD releases, food and media companies partnered to offer cash back or a certain 

quantity of free product when consumers purchased the DVD and/or the food item. Rebates and 

discounts were also available for cross-promotion themed toys. Companies that were engaged 

in cross-promotions with theme parks and other youth venues provided discounts on tickets or 

admission.

Other premiums were distributed to children and teens through sweepstakes.61 Crosspromotions with films might offer a sweepstakes to win a trip to the film premiere, or to win a

family vacation related to the movie’s storyline. An example of a sweepstakes prize created to 

appeal to children ages 12 and under was a contest to win a dream tree house offered as part of a 

children’s frozen meal product’s cross-promotion with the children’s film Open Season. Others 

were geared toward adolescents, including a candy company’s cross-promotion contest with the 

movie Pirates of the Caribbean that offered cash prizes, iTunes downloads, and screensavers. 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

35

Companies frequently targeted contests to certain age groups by limiting eligibility for prizes, 

such as to adolescents ages 13 and over, or to youth 14 or younger.

Targeted sweepstakes

In connection with the release of children’s film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 

one candy company ran two sweepstakes aimed at children and teens. In the first, 

open to ages 16 and under, game pieces in packages offered children the chance to 

win a trip to Wannado City theme park to be a candy-maker for a day, invent a new, 

limited edition candy product, and receive a “salary” of $25,000. In the second, 

open to all ages, children who found a “Golden Ticket” in the packages of one of five 

participating candy varieties could win one of five grand prizes, each of which was 

based on one of the child characters in the movie. Prizes included a trip to Europe, 

$10,000 in cash, a shopping spree, a fantasy sports camp adventure, and a video 

animation studio tour. Runner-up prizes for the sweepstakes included movie kits 

containing a DVD, T-shirt, poster, and other movie-related items; MP3 players; and 

candy.

Finally, a common method for distributing cross-promotion related prizes to children 

and teens was to provide access to content online or opportunities to instantly win items via a 

website. These types of prizes were available upon entering a UPC or other code from product 

packaging onto the website. In this way, children were given opportunities to win toys, video 

games, movie tickets, and other prizes tied to the cross-promotions.

d. Interacting with Cross-Promotions v

As part of their cross-promotions, many food companies dedicated space on company 

websites or product sites to advertise the promotions. Similar to packaging and store displays, 

website content prominently displayed copyrighted images from the cross-promoted films and

television programs. QSRs featured unique web pages for toys sold during cross-promotions.

Frequently, websites featured an interactive component tied to the cross-promotion, such as 

an online game featuring the licensed character or an opportunity to win an instant prize related 

to the promotion. Some websites incorporated the licensed characters into free downloads 

offered at the sites, such as wallpapers, screensavers, coloring pages, and e-cards. In some cases, 

media companies allowed movie trailers and extra footage to appear on food company websites 

advertising the cross-promotion.
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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Online promotions also commonly involved content on a partner website, such as a media 

company’s website for the licensed film or television program. As part of their cross-promotion

food companies placed banner, skyscraper, and pop-up ads on partner websites, and often the 

media company and food company sites hyperlinked to each other’s related content. In some 

cases, media partners streamed video ads for the food products on their websites or hosted online 

games incorporating the food products. Food companies also paid unrelated third-party websites 

to run banner ads for their child- and teen-directed cross-promotions. One QSR offered codes 

on its company website that could be used to access additional content on partner websites or 

console-based video games tied to the cross-promotion.

Promotion via a partner websi

For a cross-promotion for its television character Danny Phantom, Nick.com 

featured sponsored logos and streaming video ads for a children’s frozen meal 

product. Banner ads directed children to the “FUN GAMES” on the food product 

website, promoted a contest on the food site to win a Danny Phantom video game, 

and told children to “look for these meals in your grocer’s frozen food section.” In 

addition, the frozen meal product served as a sponsor of Nick.com’s New Game of 

the Week, which enabled the food company to display a branded billboard ad while 

Nick.com’s online video game loaded and to have banner ads and a product logo 

visible during game play.

e. Edible Cross-Promotion

There were many examples of food products with “limited edition” line extensions devoted 

specifically to the cross-promoted movie, television show, cartoon character, toy, or website.

Such products included candy, canned soups, pastas, breakfast cereals, snack crackers, cookies, 

fruit snacks, snack cakes, toaster pastries, cereal bars, yogurt, children’s frozen meals, and frozen 

waffles shaped like or co-branded with licensed characters from television shows or motion

pictures popular with children or adolescents. Sometimes, the food itself was imprinted with the 

cross-promotion. For example, one snack chip brand was imprinted with trivia questions related 

to cross-promotions with films, including The Chronicles of Narnia and Spider-Man 3, and other 

media properties.

f. Case Stu

Cross-promotions were widespread in 2006, tying foods and beverages in all of the covered 

categories to about 80 movies, television shows, and animated characters that appeal primarily to 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

37

youth. Two examples of movies that were cross-promoted with a wide variety of food products 

were Pirates of the Caribbean and Superman Returns. Cross-promotions with these films us

the full range of promotional techniques, and were directed to both children and teens.

i. Pirates of the Caribbean

In July 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was released in cinemas across 

the country with an MPAA rating of PG-13.62 To coincide with the film’s release, food a

beverage companies and restaurants ran cross-promotions involving a range of foods, including 

QSR children’s meals, fruit, frozen waffles, fruit snacks, breakfast cereals, popcorn, lunch kits,

and candy directed to children and adolescents. Advertisements took the form of television and 

in-theater ads, Internet advergames, specially marked packaging, limited edition line extensions 

inspired by the movie, premiums, prizes, and in-store displays.

One QSR cross-promotion featured the Pirates movie on the restaurant’s “kids’ meal” 

packaging and promoted movie-related toys (“loot”) via in-store and drive-thru posters. 

Packaging for a candy brand displayed company animated spokescharacters dressed as pirates 

and characters from the Pirates movie, and some packages were designed to look like swords. 

Consumers who bought certain breakfast cereals or frozen waffles could mail in for a skullshaped bowl or a bandana, and other packages offered free movie popcorn or provided a skull 

strobe light key chain as an in-pack premium.

A produce company created special in-store displays and tags for pineapples and bananas to 

promote the movie and direct consumers to a website where visitors could “plunder” rooms and 

get free movie-related holiday posters. Similarly, the website for a children’s lunch kit product 

described the in-pack premiums and the chance to play advergames related to the movie. A 

cereal company’s branded online environment for children promoted Pirates on the marquis of 

the town’s virtual movie theater.

Packaging and point-of-sale displays for candies promoted a Pirates sweepstakes for a cash 

prize. A QSR cross-promotion included a “Search for the Golden Treasure” game in which kids’ 

meal purchasers could instantly win a trip to Disney Parks. The website for a popcorn brand 

featured a Pirates cross-promotion, in which consumers could enter the UPC number from the 

product package to win a prize.

One candy company created limited edition candy products, including “White Chocolate 

Pirate Pearls” (featured in a television ad in which an actor from Pirates talked to company 

animated spokescharacters), “Shipwreck Treasure Mix” (in which “sea green” candies turned 

gold in your mouth), and “Jack’s Gems” (printed with pirate-themed images, like a skull and 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

38

bones). Similarly, a packaged foods company marketed a limited edition frozen waffle stamp

with images based on the movie, as well as fruit snacks in treasure shapes.

ii. Superman Returns

The Summer of 2006 also saw the release of Superman Returns (rated PG-13), and food and 

beverage companies licensed the Superman character for use in television ads, on packaging, 

in store and restaurant displays, and on the Internet. Products advertised in Superman crosspromotions included carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, breakfast cereals, pasta, snack 

foods, and QSR children’s meals. One dairy marketer used the lead actor from Superman in 

its “got milk?” milk mustache print ads. Limited edition cereal, snack, and pasta products took 

the shape of the Superman shield, and a “Buffalo wings” snack flavor was created to coincide

with the film. Product samples were given out at movie premieres and other venues. Bra

carbonated beverages were placed in the film itself. A restaurant offered Superman outdoo

flying toys as children’s meal premiums, together with online activity challenges and the

opportunity to track and compare individual progress; it also sponsored an online sweepstakes 

to win a laptop computer. Food company websites promoted the movie by telling the movie’s 

back-story, offering online games (find Lois Lane or find Superman, for example), revealing

Superman trivia, and affording the opportunity to win prizes with a code found in or on 

packages. Superman-themed prizes – promoted on packages, in stores, and on the Internet – 

included a vacation trip to various U.S. landmarks; branded T-shirts, towels, and travel gear; 

video games; a $1,000,000 reward for the capture of villain Lex Luthor; and other cash awards.

Other premiums included posters, game cards, discounts on Superman toys, lunch kits, activity 

books, a door hanger, and wallpaper downloads. Superman products were advertised across age 

groups, from young children to adolescents.

2. Brand Recognition Activities

In addition to the widespread use of cross-promotions with third-party licensed characters 

and other properties in marketing to children and teens, several companies – including QSRs, a 

produce company, and cereal, snack, baked goods, and candy makers – have successfully created 

their own animated spokescharacters. These characters are based on animals, people, the food 

product, and even utensils, and are used in advertising and promotions to increase recognition 

of products and brands. Spokescharacters generally are associated with a particular product or 

product line, and their success is documented by the fact that many have endured for generations 

of children.

Stories about the characters and fictitious biographical information appeared in television

ads, on packages, and in online videos. The stories were augmented by websites and packaging 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

39

that used the characters in games, involved children in solving mysteries, and offered related 

prizes or premiums, such as “collectible” character cards. Spokescharacters also made 

appearances at events; one snack food brand offered a contest where the winner’s school would 

have a celebration party with a “live” appearance by the character.

In 2006, a candy company and Marvel Comics created a series of print and online comic 

books, promoted via in-store displays and through the company website. Comic book pages 

portrayed each candy piece as a unique character. Print ads directed children to the Internet 

where they found printable games with instructions to use the candy as game pieces. Codes on 

product packaging could unlock additional game levels on the website.

As part of the effort to increase brand awareness through the use of spokescharacters and 

other advertising techniques, a number of companies have successfully developed their own 

lines of branded merchandise for sale at retail outlets, or have licensed third parties to sell 

merchandise branded with food company trademarks and characters.63 In addition to serving a 

promotional purpose by increasing consumer familiarity with and loyalty to particular products 

and brands, these activities typically profit the company through licensing fees, royalties, and

product markups.

Food-branded merchandise may be developed for use by a general audience, or by children 

or adolescents. Thus, children may wear pajamas that carry a cereal logo, while teens may 

decorate their lockers at school with message boards branded with their favorite candy bar.64 

Some companies also entered into marketing agreements with toy companies to produce cobranded toys, including race-cars, dolls, and Play-Doh, which children could use to make models 

of their favorite snack cakes. These branding opportunities increase brand recognition among 

the parent purchasers, as well as the child or teen end-users.

One candy company reported being contacted by educators (including the Secretary of the 

Department of Education) in the mid-1990s with requests to use company brands and images 

in educational materials, such as counting books, to help children learn math in a creative way. 

Following these inquiries, the company entered into an agreement with a publishing company to 

produce books on math topics, as well as holiday and birthday books. The agreement to publish 

these branded children’s books terminated at the end of 2006.

3. Other Promotional Activities

a. Internet and Digital A

More than 30 of the 44 target companies reported online, youth-directed advertising 

activities. Online activities included dedicating space on a company website to child- or teen-
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

40

focused content; developing independent websites for particular child- or teen-directed food 

products or promotional campaigns; purchasing ads on third-party websites to promote a food 

item or promotion; and using a range of other digital marketing techniques, such as email 

newsletters, downloadable screensavers and wallpapers, podcasts, and “webisodes,” to reach 

children and adolescents.

Many companies designated portions of their websites as dedicated child or teen zones. 

Other companies had independent websites for products that were child- or teen-focused, 

in which all of the content was directed to those audiences. In some cases, unique websites 

were created for specific promotions. One energy drink company closely tied its promotion

activities to extreme sports popular with teens by hosting several websites dedicated to different 

sporting activities, such as paragliding, skydiving, motorbike racing, and kiteboarding. Childand teen-directed website content often featured bright colors and graphics, and images of 

children and adolescents; teen websites occasionally used darker colors and graphics.

Many websites allowed children and teens to view the companies’ television ads for the 

products, but at least one company had a policy that television ads would not be automatically 

streamed to child viewers online. Some carbonated beverage companies reported interactive 

website features that allowed consumers to create their own videos using clips the companies 

provided of food products and extreme sporting activities.

Advergames were a frequent feature on child- and teen-directed food company websites, 

appearing on websites for products such as snack chips, fruit snacks, seeds, candy, cookies, 

cereals, dairy products, cocoa, children’s frozen meals, restaurant food, frozen waffles, canned

soups, fruit, and non-carbonated beverages. Product packaging often directed consumers to 

online games, with a chance to win a prize; companies occasionally rewarded children who 

entered codes from product packaging with access to additional game levels. In some cases, 

the games were designed so that consumption of the food product by the game’s characters was 

an objective for players.65 One candy website featured a teen-directed advergame in which 

players operated a virtual skill crane machine in an effort to retrieve candy bars with the crane; 

successful players had a chance to win iPod Nanos, as well as real candy.66 Another candy 

maker, however, had a company policy not to promote games that encourage consumption of 

products, while a packaged food company’s policy prohibited online games that included any 

type of excessive product consumption. The packaged food company’s policy also required that 

games targeted to or frequented by children must include an “activity break” every 30 minutes, 

pausing website action and encouraging children to engage in a “more active” pursuit.
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

41

Occasionally, food product websites had social networking components, where children 

could create personal avatars – computer representations of themselves – and interact with a 

virtual community. On one candy website, children could create avatars and accumulate virtual 

currency by playing advergames that they could use to purchase digital merchandise, such as 

screensavers, instant messenger (IM) icons, and clothing for their avatars. On a cereal website, 

children could buy clothes and furniture for their avatars with virtual currency earned by playing 

online games, pick a neighborhood to live in, and shop for the company’s cereal brands at a 

virtual grocery store. Some websites allowed children to take a quiz to determine what variety of 

food product best suits their personality.

Case study:

In 2006, one milk marketer initiated an online campaign targeted at teens. The 

campaign website aims to teach teens about the consequences of their beverage 

choices using interactive educational content and trivia quizzes. On the website, 

teens encounter bright colors and graphics, scrolling elements, and numerous 

overlapping, interactive, multi-media components. The website has dynamic content, 

with multiple rooms teens can enter to find out more information about celebrity milk 

mustache endorsers, download free content such as wallpapers, MP3s, and IM icons, 

and enter sweepstakes. Teens can create their own milk mustache advertisements 

and upload their photos to share with others. Throughout 2006, the marketer also 

ran an online auction in which teens collected milk carton bar codes in order to bid 

for prizes from popular brands. Prizes included subscriptions to teen magazines, 

sportswear and sporting equipment, video games, bicycles, DVD and MP3 players, 

guitars, jewelry, clothing, mobile phones, and televisions. Teens could also sign 

up to receive email newsletters from the marketer and send “tell-a-friend” emails 

to others. The campaign was promoted via banner ads on third-party websites, 

which showed celebrity milk mustache endorsers popular with teens, such as David 

Beckham and Sasha Cohen. Finally, the milk marketer sponsored a MySpace.com 

profile page for the campaign that allowed teens to download milk mustache ads as 

wallpapers for their computers, displayed a David Beckham video ad, and featured a 

“make your own milk mustache ad” interactive game.

Food companies purchased banner ads, pop-up ads, and streaming video ads on thirdparty child- and teen-directed websites, such as Nick.com, CartoonNetwork.com, Disney.com, 

SIKIDS.com, and MTV.com, and social networking sites MySpace.com and Xanga.com. These 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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ads contained hyperlinks to the food product websites, and often linked directly to promotional 

features of the site, such as advergames. Some companies that advertised their food brands on 

third-party websites, such as Nick.com, imported games from those sites onto their own food 

product websites.

Food and beverage companies and restaurants made available to children and teens a wide 

variety of free, downloadable and printable content, including coloring pages, stickers, ironons, activity books, mazes, tic tac toe, and other games. These frequently, but not always, 

incorporated food product branding. Free downloadable content for teens included screensavers, 

wallpapers, ringtones, digital music files, and layouts for MySpace pages.

Many companies offered email newsletters.67 Through newsletters and “kids’ clubs,” 

companies kept children and teens apprised of new products and new promotional offers 

available through their websites. Some beverage companies reported contacting teens by text 

message to alert them to new promotions, while one packaged food company had a policy not to 

engage in cell phone-based promotional or marketing activity targeting children under 12.

A few companies utilized podcasts – downloadable audio files, often similar to radio

programs – and “webisodes” – online video episodes resembling television shows – to reach 

children and teens through their websites. One candy brand’s website featured weekly podcasts 

of Ryan Seacrest’s American Top 40 radio show, incorporating ads for the brand spoken by Mr. 

Seacrest. Another candy brand developed original content for a series of webisodes featuring 

musical group the Black-Eyed Peas, in a fictional storyline relating to the candy brand. O

child-directed website for a snack cracker brand had a series of webisodes centered on the 

product’s animated spokescharacters. Cereal companies also featured webisodes starring 

animated spokescharacters on their product websites.68

b. Word-of-Mouth and Viral

Word-of-mouth and viral marketing encompass a variety of promotional techniques that aim 

to increase discussion of a food product or brand among consumers, and to encourage consumers 

to share branded messages with one another. Many companies reported their viral marketing 

efforts together with their other online promotions, such as their company websites. These 

efforts typically consisted of e-cards and “send-to-a-friend” emails children and teens could 

send from food product websites that displayed product branding and, frequently, hyperlinks 

back to the website; companies also provided branded instant message icons that children and 

teens could use when sending messages to friends.69 E-cards were sometimes tied to a particular 

holiday or occasion, such as a birthday. One company website had “tell-a-friend” messages that 

could be sent by email or instant messenger, and also provided code that could be copied onto 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

43

relevant online message boards. In one case, a company allowed children to send an email to 

friends challenging them to play a game on one of the company’s food brand websites, despite 

having a policy of not engaging in Internet communications or activities, including websites, 

blogs, or games, targeting children under 12.

Other viral promotional tools directed to teens and used by a few companies included 

company-sponsored blogs and social networking profiles.70 One flavored milk brand had

website dedicated to a mock political campaign that incorporated a blog. The same brand 

sponsored a user-generated video contest, inviting consumers ages 14 and older to submit videos 

and vote for their favorites at MySpace.com; the grand prize was a trip to New York to watch 

the winning video being screened in Times Square, while people voting on videos could win 

an iPod. As discussed above, one milk marketer sponsored a MySpace.com profile page for i

teen-targeted online promotional campaign.

Word-of-mouth activities frequently involved the recruitment of a group of consumers 

who could share promotional messages about brands with their peers; these consumers were 

referred to as “ambassadors” or “connectors.” For example, one candy brand hired a group 

of snowboarders as ambassadors to hand out promotional DVDs and product samples at 

snowboarding venues. A flavored milk brand had an online brand ambassador program with

dedicated website featuring member profiles, message boards, and activity reports. Membe

earned points by engaging in online and offline promotional activities for the brand; points

could then be redeemed on the website for gift cards, branded apparel, and other merchandise. 

Members also provided feedback on surveys and research questions. For example, a dairy group 

recruited “teen connectors” to provide feedback on materials for a new promotional campaign 

and to talk to others about the campaign and its messages. All reported word-of-mouth activities 

appeared to be teen directed; one candy company reported having a company policy prohibiting 

word-of-mouth marketing to children under age 13.

c. In-store Promotions and Pac

Food marketers used a variety of point-of-sale materials to attract the attention of shoppers 

and their children, including teens. Examples of in-store marketing at grocery stores included 

product-specific bins, racks, or display cases picturing animated children and other characters

designed to appeal to children, or extreme sports, major sporting events, or catchy slogans to 

appeal to teens; “shelf-talkers” (small hanging shelf signs), tear pads, hanging signs, and floor

ads; signs advertising free professional sports-related paraphernalia or discounts on theme park 

admission; holiday-themed packaging and displays; and signs promoting chances to win toys, 

school supplies, athletic equipment or training, ringtones, electronics, trips, and equipment for 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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schools. Contests were promoted by store displays that drew attention to information or entry 

codes on product packages.

Other in-store promotions were mini-events involving branded vehicles, product sampling, 

circus-like activities, and the distribution of toys or other paraphernalia. Juice sampling at WalMart stores, for example, was combined with the distribution of coloring and activity books 

that featured Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Winx, and Curious George, and conveyed messages 

about eating five fruits and vegetables a day. A beverage bottler provided equipment for a fami

festival at store locations. The festival had auto racing simulators, inflatable play equipmen

games, kiosks with video game trailers, an interactive robot, the opportunity to “star” in a music 

video and take home a DVD of the performance, and free promotional items such as hats and 

shirts.

Fruit and vegetable companies also used in-store marketing to reach parents and their 

children. Several companies had marketing tie-ins with Sesame Street’s Healthy Habits for Life 

program, featuring Sesame Street characters and program icons on produce displays, packaging, 

or the produce itself. One company created a special fruit stand with a tie-in to Little League 

Baseball. Another used an apple display to promote a sweepstakes cross-promotion with Radio 

Disney and Playhouse Disney. Another fruit company created an in-store radio spot and used 

product giveaways and hanging signs called “wobblers” in cold-case produce sections where an 

animated character reminded parents to buy fresh produce for their children. The same company 

engaged in a joint campaign that used posters and “wobblers,” brochures, and in-store events to 

encourage families to eat more fruit, and provided ideas for making fruit snacks.

Food marketers reported employing a variety of design elements and visual cues to 

make product packaging appeal to children and adolescents. As previously discussed, a great 

deal of packaging incorporated characters from television and movies, as well as company 

spokescharacters. Design elements included bright or contrasting colors; graphics suggesting 

speed or explosiveness; themes of “fun,” athleticism, energy, or being “cool”; and animated 

characters. Some fruit snacks and canned soups and pastas, for example, depicted explosions of 

color in or around the food and portrayed images of children or young teens.

Some product packaging incorporated the word “kids” into the product name or stated 

that the product was “for kids.” Packaging for one company’s canned soup and pasta products 

promoted a contest to win a week-long vacation at a mansion in Hawaii; the packaging showed 

photos of children as the winners and directed children to the company website, encouraging 

them to enter with the statement, “Kids, you can win!”71 Some flavors for beverages had fun- 

quirky-sounding names appealing to children and adolescents, such as “twisted,” “surge,” “rage,” 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

45

“kick,” “slam,” “bite,” “fierce,” “flashing,” and “blast.” Another element was the shape of t

container, which sometimes was specifically designed to appeal to children.

Some product packaging and QSR packaging, trayliners, and cups contained jokes or games, 

such as word searches, mazes, matching games, trivia games, and cut-outs. For example, a 

breakfast cereal had “double vision” packaging that promoted hidden games. Another included 

3-D glasses to view the imagery on the box. Other packaging promoted the food itself as a form 

of amusement, such as by including a special dispenser for the food, or advertising that the food 

was wearable like jewelry or had unique textures, tastes, colors, or shapes with a holiday or 

animal theme.

d. Premium

Premiums – found in packages, served with QSR children’s meals, or available with proofs 

of purchase – are popular in food marketing. Often, the same premium cut across multiple food 

categories. For example, packaging for oranges and breakfast cereals included a coupon for 

admission to a theme park. Beverage companies offered point systems tied to product purchases, 

in which purchasers accumulated proofs of purchase and redeemed them for various types of 

merchandise through a company website.

Premiums offered by the target companies in 2006 included action figures; game cards;

video games and video game console-branded apparel; free movie and video game rentals; DVD 

games; interactive movies; music CDs; digital music downloads, music players, and ringtones; 

free issues of child and teen magazines or access to a subscription-only website; clothing apparel 

and iron-on decals; child spoons and “sippy” cups; backpacks and lunch boxes; spy or decoder 

rings and glasses; flying disks; temporary skin tattoos and tongue tattoos; toy cars; special

product dispensers; collectible trading and game cards and collector soda cans; sports cards, 

magnets, stickers, and books; novelties based on motion pictures and movie popcorn; movie and 

sporting event tickets; apparel and equipment related to a specific sports figure or team; sports

equipment; discount coupons for ski areas, theme parks, circuses, zoos, and aquariums; discounts 

on summer camps; discounts on toys and stuffed animals; activity books and finger paints; toys

served with QSR children’s meals; and codes for use in online virtual worlds. Some of the 

premiums appealed more directly to teens, such as the music downloads and ringtones, and video 

game cross-promotions. Others appealed to parents and their children, such as an offer for a kit 

of activities for family night at home; and others to youth and their athletic teams, such as eraser 

boards for athletic coaches and an official team book.

Some premiums related to health and fitness included a step counter inside a breakfast cereal

and a snack food package containing an activity poster touting “fitness fun.” Another market
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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placed stickers with licensed characters on individual fruits and vegetables, which children could 

then apply to special sheets to track their consumption.

Premiums often came in the form of prizes offered through sweepstakes and contests.72 In 

2006, children and teens had the opportunity to win a range of products and services, including 

cash; college scholarships; magazine subscriptions; a supply of the food product; electronics 

(televisions, digital music players, video game consoles, cell phones, cameras); ringtones; 

toys; sports equipment and athletic apparel; sports trading cards; vacations and trips to theme 

parks, extreme sporting events, and movie premieres; tickets to movies, concerts, sporting 

events, and Teen Choice Awards; sports clinics and camps; music downloads; the opportunity 

to appear in advertising for the product; a trip to a beach party with cast members from a show 

popular with teens; and opportunities for children to participate in professional sports events 

as a “sideline kid,” “kid’s captain,” “kidcaster,” bat boy/girl, or mascot, or to meet players. 

Sweepstakes sometimes spanned multiple products and food categories. For example, one 

company’s sweepstakes, which involved free music downloads and the chance to win bonus 

songs, was touted on packaging for breakfast cereal, fruit snacks, and baked goods. As discussed 

in this Section, many of these contests cross-promoted third-party media properties, and many 

sweepstakes and contests were conducted online.

e. Celebrity Endor

Food and beverage companies hired celebrity actors, athletes, singers, and musical groups 

to serve as endorsers for their products in advertisements and at events, on packaging and pointof-sale materials, and in sweepstakes and contests. Whereas characters from popular television 

programs and movies were licensed for promotions to both children and teens, celebrity 

endorsers were used almost exclusively in marketing directed to teens and tweens. In 2006, 

a milk marketer’s Internet-based teen-directed promotional campaign included celebrity milk 

mustache ads by athletes David Beckham, Alex Rodriguez, and Sasha Cohen; singers Beyoncé 

Knowles, Kelly Clarkson, and Carrie Underwood; and actors Mischa Barton and Raven Simone. 

Celebrity endorsers were featured in print ads, on the campaign website and MySpace page, in 

banner ads on third-party websites, and on posters used in schools; celebrities also served as 

judges in the organization’s Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year contest. The marketer 

auctioned a trip to the David Beckham Soccer Academy on the campaign website.

One candy company reported having a celebrity gold card program, in which celebrities 

could sign up to receive samples of new products and branded apparel; celebrities were 

encouraged to use these items for parties or travel, or as donations to charity events. Various 

candy companies used musical performers Jesse McCarthy, the Jonas Brothers, and the Black 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

47

Eyed Peas to promote their products at in-store events, in television and website advertising, 

and, in the case of the Black Eyed Peas, through a series of original webisodes available at a 

dedicated website and promoted via print ads, point-of-purchase materials, online banner ads, 

and movie theater video ads.

Celebrity athletes were occasionally used as endorsers for products that sought to align 

themselves with particular sports or sports in general. For example, a snack seed brand that 

marketed itself to children and teens involved in youth baseball used celebrity endorser Derek 

Jeter in website ads and an advergame. A snack meat brand that sponsored extreme sporting 

events paid BMX biker Dave Mirra to endorse the brand; Mr. Mirra appeared at events and on 

the company website, and his name was used on a contest to win $5,000 to revamp a park. 

beverage company used basketball player LeBron James for various promotions. He appeared 

online, on containers, and in point-of-sale materials, as well as in television ads and an MTV 

promotion. Fans could help to “choose his theme song,” enter a contest to meet him in person or 

win other LeBron-related prizes, and collect bottle caps to redeem for “LeBron gear” through a 

website “athletic club.”

Some companies used celebrity athlete endorsers to promote healthy messages and physical 

activity. A canned soup company featured soccer player Freddy Adu in educational materials 

distributed to schools in order to spread information on the importance of fitness and nutrition. 

vegetable juice brand offered a chance to win a new basketball court for a school, along with a 

chance to play basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Other celebrity endorsements in 2006 included a cereal brand’s contest for a chance to 

appear in an ad in Sports Illustrated for Kids alongside baseball player Derek Lee; a sweepstakes 

advertised on a cookie brand’s website and packaging to win $10,000 and an opportunity to meet

American Idol judge Randy Jackson; and a QSR’s television ads featuring professional tween 

surfers, bikers, and snowboarders.

f. Event Marketing and Athletic

Companies reported engaging in child- and teen-focused promotional activities at a wide 

variety of venues. Sponsored events undertaken by beverage and candy companies and QSRs 

included children’s activities, such as face painting, bounce houses and pedal car races, at local 

fairs, festivals, and athletic events; Boys & Girls Clubs “kid days”; Girl Scouts “Local Lore” 

Badge Days; and acrobatic performances at mall and retail sites. An energy drink company 

regularly sponsored teen music events, art exhibits (particularly those incorporating its cans 

into the art project), and graffiti competitions. A carbonated beverage company sponsored hi

school graduation nights at Disney World and Universal Theme Park.
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Promotion of food and beverage products also occurred at music concerts and festivals, teen 

choice awards and music video awards, and other public appearances by musical entertainers. 

At one venue at which a candy company purchased billboard and scoreboard advertising, childfocused events included Disney on Ice, the Ringling Brothers Circus, Sesame Street Live, the 

Harlem Globetrotters, and Hilary Duff and Cheetah Girls concerts, while teen events included 

high school basketball, wrestling and cheerleading events, Fall Out Boy and American Idol 

concerts, and high school graduations. A children’s toaster pastry brand sponsored the national 

tour for American Idol, distributing samples at concerts and displaying branded ads on jumbo 

screen billboards.

Two major beverage companies established shopping mall vending areas, with comfortable 

seating, as a place for teenagers to congregate, with samples provided at some venues. Candy 

companies sponsored children’s activities associated with Halloween and Easter at shopping 

malls and train stations. Other events featuring branding and product sampling by marketers 

of beverages, candy, and baked goods, as well as QSRs, occurred at amusement parks, zoos, 

museums, parades, and children’s movie premieres. One refrigerated cookie dough brand 

sponsored a Disney Jr. Chef program at Epcot Center, Disneyland, and on Disney Cruise Line 

ships, in which children baked cookies and received branded chef hats, aprons, mitts, and 

certificates.

Another common promotional technique was to send branded cars, vans, or buses on 

national or regional tours to distribute samples and engage with children and teens at stores, 

community events, amusement parks, and athletic events. One energy drink company employed 

staff to travel around the country in branded cars to give product samples to consumers, 

particularly adolescents. A candy company partnered with Six Flags Amusement Parks and 

made frequent stops of its touring bus at the parks to conduct games, sampling, and premium 

giveaways; the company also displayed signage and ran 30-second television ads on monitors in 

the parks. A carbonated beverage company sponsored a “Holiday Caravan” – a branded truck in 

which children could have their photo taken with Santa. Another beverage company employed 

two teams of samplers that toured the country in branded vehicles, distributing samples and 

creating “impromptu” parties at sporting events, skating parks, and areas with numerous 

pedestrians, with occasional appearances by performing artists.

Several companies – including dairy, fruit, candy, QSR, and beverage companies – 

sponsored youth soccer events at the local, national, and even international level. Companies 

also sponsored Little League Baseball and other youth sports, as well as championship games, 

high school player-of-the-year awards, sports camps for young athletes, and youth ballparks. 

Product samples were distributed or sold at youth sport events, and sporting equipment branded 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

49

with food product logos was used by players. In New York City, one beverage company 

sponsored a television program, directed to high school students, which provided updates on area 

high school games.

Youth-related promotional activities with professional athletic teams or athletic associations 

often involved “kids clubs” or “kids day” events. Events or participatory activities for young 

people included opportunities to meet and have photos taken with players, serve as bat boy/girl, 

practice pitching, perform a coin toss, participate in pre-game parades, attend parties, win free 

tickets, or join youth fan clubs. In addition, some companies sponsored athletic camps, clinics, 

and training programs, including sweepstakes for children and adolescents to win a place in these 

programs. One beverage company co-sponsored athletic touring events, drawing players from 

various professional teams to play exhibition basketball games. Product samples were offered at 

these events, as well as at other summertime basketball tournaments in outdoor parks.

To reach adolescents, food and beverage marketers and QSRs sometimes focused on 

sponsorship of “extreme sports” or action sports, which are popular among teens. A snack 

meat brand sponsored the Dew Action Sports tour, receiving exclusive branding at the 

tour’s skateboarding park. Another company sponsored extreme sports events – including 

skateboarding, in-line skating, and bicycle stunts – to promote its carbonated drinks and 

smoothies. A breakfast cereal brand co-sponsored Sports Illustrated for Kids’ national talent 

search, the Next Snow Search 2006, which aimed to find the next generation of extreme skiers

and snowboarders and was open to boys and girls ages 10-15; the company had posters, banners, 

inflatables, a spokescharacter mascot, and a branded “fun zone” at the event site. One produc

of energy drinks focused most of its promotional efforts on extreme sports, sponsoring athletes, 

teams, and competitive events for activities such as motorcycling, bicycling, auto racing, 

snowmobiling, kayaking, skiing, swimming, diving, surfing, snowboarding, skating, skydiving,

paragliding, and various other wind/water sports.

g. Product Placeme

Product placements occurred when food and beverage products or product branding were 

integrated into the storyline of a movie or television program. Carbonated beverages, including 

energy drinks, were placed in various television programs that companies reported as appealing 

to adolescents.73 Beverage placements occurred in some of the top broadcast programs watched 

by teens, such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. Placement could include a character drinking a 

soda or offering a can to another character, the can or bottle appearing on a table or a refrigerator 

shelf, a character mentioning the product in dialogue, or a product logo appearing on a T-shirt 

or other item, such as a cooler. Other television programming in which product placements 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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occurred included South of Nowhere (snack cakes), Unfabulous (snack cakes), Nick at Nite’s 

Road Crew (QSR meal), Free Ride (cereal), Everwood (cereal), and Saved (cereal).

Companies also reported placements in PG- and PG-13-rated movies, including Curious 

George (fruit), The Shaggy Dog (carbonated beverages, juice, bottled water), Saving Shiloh

(snack cakes), Zoom (snack cakes), Annapolis (snack cakes), RV (snack cakes), Click (snack 

cakes), Bring It On: All or Nothing (snack cakes), Step Up (cereal), Glory Road (carbonated 

beverages, bottled water), Eight Below (carbonated beverages), Aquamarine (carbonated 

beverages), How to Eat Fried Worms (carbonated beverages, bottled water), Flicka (carbonated 

beverages, sports drinks, bottled water), Superman Returns (carbonated beverages), Employee 

of the Month (sports drinks, cereal), School for Scoundrels (sports drinks), and The Fast and the 

Furious 3: Tokyo Drift (energy drinks). No placements in G-rated movies were reported.

Two candy companies and one packaged food company had company policies specifically

prohibiting the use of paid product placements in any media properties primarily directed to 

children under 12. In addition, as discussed in Section IV, members of the Children’s Food 

and Beverage Advertising Initiative have agreed not to seek any product placement of food and 

beverage products in editorial and entertainment content directed to children under twelve.

h. Advertising in Movie Theaters, Videos, and V

Another technique companies used to promote their food and beverage products to children 

and adolescents, as well as to general audiences, was to place advertisements in movie theaters, 

videos, and video games. Ads in movie theaters and on DVDs and VHS tapes were typically 

15- or 30-second ads originally developed for television that were shown prior to the screening 

of the film. In some cases, the ads involved cross-promotions for movies, such as Pirates o

the Caribbean. Based on the companies’ reports, movie theater chains often have discretion in 

selecting the films before which they show food ads. For this reason, the Commission does n

have a list of the films associated with food ads.

Advertisements in online and console-based third-party video games74 can take the form of 

video ads that play before the game, banner ads or virtual billboards that are shown during the 

game, or product or brand integration into game content, similar to product placements in a film

or television program.75 A few companies reported using in-game advertising as a promotional 

tool to reach adolescents. One QSR company placed an ad in a skateboarding game; players in 

the game would move through a virtual cityscape in which they would pass virtual versions of 

the restaurant. The company received similar brand exposure in other video games. In another 

example, a snack chip brand advertised in a PlayStation racing game targeted to adolescents; 

in the game, racing bikes were adorned with product logos, similar to actual sponsored racing. 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

51

Carbonated drinks were placed in sports video games with E ratings. Finally, one QSR company 

commissioned three CD games featuring the restaurant’s branding that it distributed with its 

“kids’ meal” product; the games featured banner ads for the restaurant, and, in one game, 

clicking on a branded insignia provided additional fuel for the player’s jet craft.

i. Philanthro

Companies were asked to report on branded materials used in association with donations 

to non-profit organizations, programs, or events. Several companies reported that they ma

small contributions, usually on a local level, of money, product samples, and branded apparel and 

other merchandise to youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts, the YMCA, Boys and Girls 

Clubs, Big Brother/Big Sister, the Children’s Miracle Network, the Miracle League (baseball 

for disabled children), the Make-a-Wish Foundation, gymnastics academies, arts education 

organizations, camps, Bible schools, and summer programs in science, music, and art. Other 

local events sponsored by companies included back-to-school block parties, “Take a Kid Fishing 

Day,” immunization events, and city park and pool openings. Contributions generally involved 

some kind of brand recognition. On the national level, one QSR company sponsored World’s 

Children Day – a 10-day fund-raiser for the company’s children’s charities – and advertised the 

event in television, radio, print, and in-store advertisements.

A number of companies provided scholarships, honors, and cash prizes to children and 

teens based on success at school or in the community, which were described on their websites 

and through branded materials distributed in schools and at stores. Some companies sponsored 

essay contests, asking students to write on topics such as Black History Month. Other company 

activities encouraged philanthropic behavior among children. One produce company distributed 

thousands of free lemonade stands – branded with company logos – to children ages 7-12 who 

pledged to raise money for their favorite local charities.

Some philanthropic activities encouraged children to engage in physical activities or 

promoted messages about healthy diets. For example, a beverage company partnered with the 

national non-profit organization Kaboom! to fund and build children’s playgrounds.76 One 

fruit and vegetable company sponsored a “Teens for Greens” campaign designed to inspire and 

encourage tweens and teens to adopt healthier eating habits, while another contributed to an 

organization called “Produce for Kids,” which held events at retailers to educate children about 

the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables. Both companies promoted these events on the

websites and through point-of-sale materials.
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4. In-School Marketing

The Commission required the target companies to report all advertising or promotional 

activities occurring in or around pre-schools and elementary, middle, and high schools. Several 

companies provided copies of company policies that prohibited some types of marketing to 

children in schools.77 The Commission’s Special Order explained that in-school marketing 

activities were reportable if they involved the use of trade names, logos, displays, signage, or 

other branded materials in or around cafeterias, vending machines, or gymnasiums, at school 

events, youth athletic events, athletic fields or areas, and on school buses or closed circuit

television channels.

Vending machines accessible to students, with logo placement, signs, and displays, were 

the primary vehicle for promoting beverages, both carbonated and non-carbonated, to children 

and adolescents78 in elementary, middle, and high schools.79 Beverage bottlers had vending 

contracts with school districts or individual schools, and money paid to the schools pursuant to 

these contracts was often designated for sponsored events, such as high school football games 

and television recaps of games, after-school athletic programs, scholarships, or athletic apparel. 

In other instances, use of the funds was wholly discretionary with the school or school district. 

Some bottlers also provided free products to schools. One bottler sponsored contests directed 

to children and teens, with information displayed on the vending machines and winning stickers 

on or under caps of random bottles dispensed by the machines. Prizes – some of which could 

be redeemed at the school principal’s office – included tickets to football games, autographed

footballs, licensed sports merchandise, fair tickets, ski passes, and T-shirts.

Both beverage and prepared foods companies, as well as one QSR, supplied school food 

service departments with products to be sold in school cafeterias as part of school lunches. 

Typically, these companies also provided promotional displays for their foods, such as posters, 

banners, or ceiling danglers. One company tested a beverage product by providing samples in 

middle and senior high school cafeterias. The company also distributed premiums – T-shirts, 

hats, and key chains – in connection with another drink sold in cafeterias. A company selling 

pizza and other entrees to school cafeterias (at all levels) sponsored a promotion in which 

schools could receive branded merchandise for use by students, including soccer balls, kick 

balls, Frisbees, backpacks, and notebooks, in exchange for placing the branded product names 

on cafeteria menus. Certain of its brands also were tied to a cross-promotion for the film Nann

McPhee; schools placing those brands on their cafeteria menus were entered into a contest to 

win a private screening of the movie and also received movie posters, movie passes for a student 

raffle, and other promotional materials. Mexican specialty food products were tied to a Cin

de Mayo promotion through which schools could receive pedometers, as well as extra points 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

53

to use toward other branded merchandise offerings. Another company rewarded schools with 

merchandise when students and parents collected and remitted the company’s food product 

labels. The program, which also featured ways to earn “bonus points,” was promoted on the 

Internet, on packages, in stores, and through the endorsement of professional soccer player 

Freddy Adu.

A producer of baked cheese-flavored snacks offered in elementary and middle school

cafeterias linked a popular spokescharacter to a program encouraging exercise, and also 

distributed U.S. maps. “Instant win” student prizes connected to the snack product included 

mountain bikes with helmets, iPod shuffles, and CDs, as well as branded soccer balls, kick balls,

and T-shirts. The grand prize – a Jeep Hardtail Mountain Bicycle – was selected by random 

drawing, and the winner’s school was the site of a celebration party with a live DJ and snack 

samples. Another snack seller designed a drop box for use in K-12 schools where students who 

purchased participating products could enter a drawing for movie tickets.

Milk industry associations promoted milk consumption in schools through branded 

refrigeration equipment, cafeteria posters, and in-class supplies. In California high schools, 

one milk board promoted the “Got Milk? Gravity Tour,” an extreme sports tour sponsored in 

association with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Another milk marketer distributed its 

celebrity milk mustache (“got milk?”) posters for display in school cafeterias. In addition, it 

sent to schools large (“truck sized”) posters, static clings, and banners in connection with its 

teen-directed promotional campaign. School posters also supported the campaign’s online 

auction, which featured various items likely to appeal to teenagers. The milk marketer made 

side panel art – featuring animated teen characters playing the guitar or sports, drinking milk, or 

cheerleading – available to milk processors for use on small containers for sale in schools. In 

addition, it advertised its SAMMY (“Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year”) scholarship 

award in high schools.

Beverage manufacturers offered scholarships to high school students, funded graduation 

events or souvenirs, sponsored book fairs, and provided books for reading programs, book covers 

(some in Spanish), growth charts, and reading charts. Producers of sports drinks or bottled 

water provided branded sports team kits, including coolers, bottles, and bottle carriers; posters 

and other materials on dehydration and rehydration; as well as discounted products and sideline 

equipment. A baked goods producer placed ads in yearbooks and athletic programs, provided 

banners for gyms and athletic fields, and donated its products to schools upon request. Can

manufacturers donated their products or cash to schools. Bottlers donated beverages for school 

events, sponsored field trips, and funded scoreboards.
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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Food and beverage companies and QSRs distributed educational materials to schools about 

nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other aspects of child or teen development; often, these materials

were branded or promoted particular products or nutritional icon programs. Educational 

materials were sometimes accompanied by premiums, such as branded pencils, posters, activity 

sheets, or soccer balls.

QSRs also sponsored or participated in student writing competitions. QSRs sponsored or 

participated in reading encouragement programs, providing schools with restaurant certificates or

coupons to award to students who read a certain number of books.80 One QSR offered branded 

merchandise, such as pencil sharpeners, cups, pens, and magnets, for sale to schools to use as 

student reading awards. For children in pre-schools or daycare centers, award certificates we

given for books read aloud to children. Another QSR awarded tokens – to be used for playing 

games at the restaurant – for good report-card grades. The same QSR hosted school fund-raising 

nights, with a portion of its proceeds donated to the school. These events were promoted with 

posters and flyers in the schools and stickers given to students to be redeemed for game tokens.

C. Target Companies’ Market Research on Child and Teen 

Audiences81

The food and beverage companies reported performing marketing research on child and 

adolescent audiences. They conducted focus groups, online surveys, and in-depth interviews to 

ascertain what is important to various age groups and what engages them. They also obtained 

market research from advertising or media firms through commissioned projects or unsolicited

presentations. On occasion, research was conducted in schools during class time. Companies 

tested proposed television ads on young consumers to determine what techniques will make 

them want to try the product.82 Marketers recognized that children’s requests to parents to buy a 

product, sometimes called the “nag” factor, are important in driving purchases.

Research submitted by carbonated beverage companies tended to focus on an adolescent 

audience, to ascertain, for example, what creative elements appeal to them and which athletes or 

athletic teams they most admire.83 The research also showed that product placement within the 

story line of a television show, combined with traditional ads that appear during or adjacent to 

the program, can be highly successful in achieving product recognition, ad recall, and purchase 

intent by teens.

Company research showed that children like ads with dramatic, action-filled, and to-becontinued story lines. They also like ads that link to websites and afford an opportunity to play 

games, solve a mystery or problem, or win prizes. Animated characters – whether third-party 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

55

licensed characters or characters created by a company for a brand – seem to be an important 

factor in getting children to ask their parents to buy a product.84 Children like animated 

characters associated with particular brands, and they want the characters to be both “fun” 

and “cool.” In fact, the perceived “coolness” of a food product is apparently one of the most 

important factors in driving children to ask parents to buy the product. Messages that associate 

a food with “fun” are also persuasive to children. Adolescents, on the other hand, may be more 

persuaded by an emphasis on taste.

The responding companies’ research showed that children like premiums with food 

products. For example, research submitted by one company indicated that very young children 

tend to prefer a small item in the package, whereas older children tend to prefer a large item 

that they might obtain by collecting and sending in proofs of purchase. One company found 

that, among tweens ages 9 to 12, a favorite way of participating in a promotion was entering 

a code from product packaging on a website. Toys available with QSR children’s meals have 

been a very effective promotional tool, particularly with younger grade school children; they 

appeared to be less effective with tweens. Contests and sweepstakes are used frequently with 

both children and teenagers, and can be effective in raising brand awareness among those who 

participate.85 Packaging that refers to prizes likewise attracts attention. Research submitted 

by some companies revealed the most popular prizes among children and tweens are cash, 

electronic games or gadgets, vacation trips, product supplies, and event tickets.86

In-store marketing techniques, such as floor decals and shelf-talkers, can be successful

in drawing children’s attention and getting them to request the product. According to some 

research, children also use on-shelf coupon dispensers as a way of getting parents to purchase 

a desired product. Candy marketing to children sometimes focuses on in-store displays, and 

teenagers learn about new beverage products in stores.

Packaging may effectively communicate that a product is for young children or older 

children. For one type of prepared food, market research demonstrated that the shape of the 

letters on the label and the product name itself would signal that the food was primarily for 

younger children. In contrast, children viewed a similar food to be for older youths because 

the label used the word “big” and had a product name that sounded more mature. Another 

important element is the type or shape of container. For example, in one study, juice in a box or 

a pouch tended to signal that the beverage was appropriate for children, but not teens. Color is 

an important element in package design to trigger appeal to children and to teenagers, who also 

like complex design elements. Interestingly, some of the research found that statements that 

imply a product is healthy or nutritious, or healthier than other comparable products, generally 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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do not generate appeal to children or adolescents because they are concerned the taste will be 

compromised.

Several of the 44 companies submitted marketing research and media placement guidelines 

that touched on gender, race, or ethnicity in marketing. For example, market research submitted 

by packaged food companies and QSRs examined the attractiveness of particular types of 

products among Hispanic, African-American, and Asian audiences, and among young girls as 

compared to young boys. One company conducted a focus group study of Hispanic consumers 

that, among other things, explored snack food usage and brand awareness among Hispanic moms 

and the perceived beneficial attributes of the company’s snack product by this population (e.g., 

low cholesterol, zero trans fat, taste, convenience). Another company’s research suggested 

that snacks play different roles for girls and boys – for girls, snacks are more about fitting in,

while for boys, snacks are about standing out. As part of a QSR’s survey of its kids’ meals, 

the company examined the appeal of kids’ meals to African-American and Hispanic segments 

as compared to the general consumer market, noting stronger ratings by African Americans 

and Hispanics than the general consumer on issues such as the variety of food choices offered 

for children and adults, and whether the food is of a high quality. Research conducted for a 

packaged food company observed that some of the company’s food brands were particularly 

popular among urban populations, including Hispanics and African Americans, and that these 

groups may provide opportunities for brand growth and be responsive to certain mom-directed 

advertising.

Market research submitted by candy and milk marketers likewise examined issues such 

as product consumption in various demographic segments (e.g., girls versus boys, Hispanics, 

African Americans, Caucasians). One company, for example, noted an even candy consumption 

pattern by boys and girls and heavier consumption among African Americans and Hispanics as 

compared to Caucasians. In addition, market research from milk marketers examined issues 

such as milk consumption and motivation to eat breakfast among adolescent girls, and milk 

consumption among Hispanics and African Americans, indicating, for example, relative levels of 

milk consumption in school districts with higher proportions of Hispanic and African-American 

students.

Packaged food companies, QSRs, candy and beverage companies, and a milk marketer 

also examined the appeal of certain media and the potential success of advertising initiatives 

(e.g., cross-promotions and licensed characters) among Hispanic, African-American, and 

Asian segments of the population, and among grade school boys as compared to girls. Media 

guidelines submitted by one company noted particular media buying techniques to attract 

African-American and Hispanic consumers as compared to the general consumer market, and 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

57

research submitted by another company indicated that ads with a strong national market also 

perform well among Hispanics. Some research took note that product promotions involving 

certain licensed characters have higher awareness or performance ratings among Hispanics 

and African Americans than do other promotions. Market research also examined the relative 

performance of television commercials, cross-promotions, other advertising campaigns, and 

promotional concepts among girls versus boys, observing certain themes, images, characters, 

modes of participation, and prizes with particular gender appeal.

D. Marketing Directed to Children or Adolescents by Gender, 

Race, Ethnicity, or Income Level

The target companies were also required to report on any promotional activities and 

expenditures in 2006 that were directed to youth of a specific gender, race, ethnicity, or income

level. Several of the 44 companies reported that certain promotional campaigns and techniques 

were directed to general audiences, including youth, of a particular gender, race, or ethnicity, and 

some companies reported on specific campaigns directly targeting youth of a particular gender,

race, or ethnicity. No companies reported targeting their promotions specifically based 

income level.87

The range of marketing activities reported included Spanish-language advertising on 

television and radio, in print media, and on the Internet; athletic and other event sponsorship; 

as well as packaging, in-store, premiums, character licensing, school-related marketing, and 

philanthropic endeavors. Approximately half of the companies stated they did not market based 

on gender, race, or ethnicity. Fifteen companies were able to calculate a specified amount 

expenditures earmarked for targeting youth of a particular gender, race, or ethnicity, and those 

numbers totaled approximately $28.6 million. Other companies reported relevant marketi

activities based on gender, race, and ethnicity, but stated they were unable to allocate the 

expenditures. A few companies also submitted market research and media placement guidelines 

that examined issues related to gender, race, and ethnicity.

1. Television, Print, Radio, and Internet

In 2006, some companies reported television advertising directed to Hispanic or AfricanAmerican youth audiences. For example, two packaged food companies reported Hispanicdirected television advertising for certain breakfast cereal brands, and one also reported breakfast 

cereal television advertising directed to a general African-American audience, including youth. 

Another company reported a television advertising campaign for a snack chip brand directed to 

African-American adult women that, based on advertising placement, resulted in expenditures 
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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meeting the Commission’s adolescent-directed criteria. Two candy companies directed 

television advertising for certain products to the Hispanic audience, including youth. Finally, a 

milk marketer and a QSR reported Spanish-language television advertising directed to youth.

A few companies reported other ethnic- or gender-focused print, radio, and Internet 

advertising. Certain beverage companies reported sponsoring music websites that appeared 

in Spanish and featured Hispanic artists, and a company marketing energy drinks reported 

translating many of its ads into Spanish. A QSR reported distributing Spanish-language 

promotional flyers to general audiences, including youth, for a fund-raising event. A mi

marketer reported gender-focused celebrity print advertising directed to either girls or boys, with 

higher expenditures for boy-targeted advertising, apparently due to the higher cost of media 

required to reach that audience. A candy company reported gender-focused print, in-store, and 

Internet advertising in conjunction with a popular retailer specializing in girls’ clothing. A few 

companies reported directing radio advertisements for beverages or snack chips to Hispanic and 

African-American youth.

2. Athletic and Other Event Sponsorships

Some beverage companies promoted soccer events to Hispanic youth, and sponsored 

basketball tournaments and streetball events for African-American youth. A QSR noted 

sponsorship of public events geared toward Asian Pacific Americans, including youth, and

sponsorship of a sports program for teenage girls. Two packaged food companies, on behalf 

of several brands, reported sponsoring sports programs and other events primarily directed to 

Hispanic audiences, including youth. For example, one canned pasta brand sponsored a youth 

soccer tournament directed primarily to Hispanics at which product logos appeared on team 

jerseys, field flags, and banners, as well as on soccer balls and hacky sacks given to participants

as premiums. One candy company sponsored a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Para

that featured Latin tween pop group RDB. A beverage bottler engaged in sampling and other 

promotional activities at various Hispanic festivals. Finally, a beverage company and a QSR 

reported partnering to raise money for a program to teach English to Hispanic pre-school 

children; events took place at community parks, with branded prizes.

3. Packaging, In-Store, Premiums, and School-Related Marketing

Packaged food, candy, produce, and beverage companies and QSRs reported some ethnic- or 

gender-focused marketing on packaging, in stores, through premiums, and in schools. A food 

company reported packaging-related expenses for breakfast and snack foods directed to female 

audiences, including some youth. Another company marketed cookies with packaging and 

back-to-school store displays in Spanish and English, and book covers and sports cards inside 
Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents

59

the cookie boxes. Characters from the animated Spanish-language television series El Chavo

were licensed for product promotion. One candy company reported marketing a candy product 

with flavors designed to appeal to Hispanic consumers, including youth, and another company

indicated it may consider developing special flavors and/or engaging in particular advertising

based on research suggesting its products are popular with Hispanic customers, including youth. 

A produce company reported Spanish-language marketing in regions that have a substantial 

Hispanic population.

Premiums also were used for ethnic-focused marketing. For example, premiums distributed 

in conjunction with a celebrity endorsement of certain packaged food brands were directed 

to Hispanic youth. A beverage bottler’s sweepstakes promotion to win certain toys appeared 

in Spanish. A company also reported distributing child-focused premiums for two beverage 

products to Hispanic parents. Another beverage company’s cross-promotional advertisement 

for discounted admission tickets to an amusement park was directed generally to “multicultural 

youth” ages 12-24. Finally, in conjunction with school-related marketing, a beverage company 

reported providing Spanish-language book covers to “Hispanic designated” elementary schools. 

A beverage company sponsored an essay contest tied to Black History Month for elementary, 

middle, and high school students, and a QSR reported an essay contest on the same topic for 

middle school students.
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IV. Assessment of Food Company Health 

Initiatives and Recommendations

In addition to requesting expenditure and activity data, the Commission’s Special Order 

asked reporting companies to identify and describe all company policies, programs, initiatives, 

or activities undertaken or implemented between January 1, 2006 and the date of response, to 

encourage healthy eating and lifestyle choices by children and adolescents. With this request, 

the Commission sought information to evaluate the extent to which the companies had taken 

steps to implement the recommendations from the 2006 Report on the 2005 FTC/HHS Workshop 

on Marketing, Self-Regulation & Childhood Obesity. In the 2006 Report, the Commission 

committed to monitor future developments in food marketing to children and to “issue a followup report assessing the extent to which positive, concrete measures have been implemented and 

identifying what, if any, additional steps may be warranted to ensure adequate progress is being 

made to address childhood obesity.”88

This Section of the Report discusses the information received from the reporting companies, 

as well as information from public sources, about initiatives by industry, entertainment and media 

companies, and others, undertaken in response to the problem of childhood obesity. In addition, 

as promised in the 2006 Report, this Section assesses these steps and identifies additional steps

that should be taken. Although the Commission is pleased to report that significant progress h

been made on many fronts, room for improvement remains. The Commission encourages all 

relevant entities to continue and expand their efforts, particularly in the areas identified below.

A. The 2005 Workshop on Marketing, Self-Regulation & 

Childhood Obesity and the 2006 Report

As noted in Section I, the FTC and HHS jointly convened a two-day Workshop on 

Marketing, Self-Regulation & Childhood Obesity in July 2005. Participants included 

government officials, health experts, consumer advocates, and representatives of the food

and beverage and media industries. The goal of the Workshop was to focus attention on the 

positive initiatives that all the participants could take to encourage healthier eating and lifestyles, 

particularly among the nation’s youth.

As discussed in the April 2006 Report, the Workshop yielded a number of important 

findings. Some food and beverage companies had already undertaken steps to address t

problem of childhood obesity, including introducing new products that are lower in calories and 

more nutritious, some of which are specifically targeted to children; using smaller packaging
Assessment of Food Company Health Initiatives and Recommendations

61

sizes to help consumers with portion control; using labeling icons and seals to provide nutrient 

information to consumers; and highlighting nutrition and healthy lifestyles in their advertising, 

including through the use of licensed characters that are popular with children.89 In addition, two 

companies committed to shift their advertising to children to products meeting certain nutrition 

criteria.90

The 2006 Report contained a series of recommendations for the food marketing industry, 

including suggestions for self-regulatory initiatives to address the ways in which food is 

marketed to children, and encouraged food marketers to:

• Increase product innovation and reformulation, especially for products marketed to 

children, to offer more products that are lower in calories and more nutritious;

• Expand their use of product packaging to help consumers control portion sizes and 

calories, by offering smaller portions and single-serving packages and packaging 

nutritious, lower-calorie products in ways that are more appealing to children;

• Explore the effectiveness of labeling initiatives to help consumers identify lowercalorie, more nutritious foods;

• Improve the nutritional profile of foods marketed to children;

• Explore ways to educate consumers about nutrition and fitness; and

• Improve the nutritional quality of “competitive” foods and beverages sold in 

schools.91

The 2006 Report also encouraged media and entertainment companies to continue to explore 

ways to disseminate educational messages to children and their parents about nutrition and 

fitness, and to review and revise their practices with respect to licensing popular children’s

television and movie characters for use in food advertising.92

B. Developments Since the 2005 Workshop and 2006 Report

Since the Workshop and subsequent Report, food and beverage companies, and others, 

have responded to the problem of childhood obesity in a number of ways, including working 

to implement the 2006 recommendations. Their efforts have yielded significant development

including establishment of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative; development 

of new and reformulated foods and beverages with improved nutritional profiles; increased

offerings of snacks and other foods in smaller portions and single-serving packages; various 

labeling initiatives designed to help consumers identify “better for you” foods or to better convey 

nutrition information to consumers; support for public education initiatives to promote nutrition 

and healthy lifestyles; and the launch of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Guidelines 
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for competitive foods and beverages sold in schools, outside the school meal program. These 

developments are discussed below.93

1. Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative

One major development since the 2006 Report was the Children’s Food and Beverage 

Advertising Initiative (Initiative), established by the CBBB in November 2006. The Initiative is 

an effort to change the mix of food and beverage advertising messages directed to children under 

12 to encourage healthier eating and lifestyles.

The Initiative has five central components. Participating companies mus

• Devote at least 50% of their advertising directed to children under 12 (on television 

and radio, in print, and on the Internet) to promote “healthy dietary choices” and/or 

to messages that encourage good nutrition or healthy lifestyles;

• Limit products depicted in interactive games directed to children under 12 to healthy 

dietary choices, or incorporate healthy lifestyle messages into the game;

• Reduce their use of third-party licensed characters in advertising that does not 

promote healthy dietary choices or healthy lifestyles;

• Not engage in product placement of food and beverage products in editorial and 

entertainment content directed to children under 12; and

• Not advertise food or beverage products in elementary schools.94

To date, 13 food and beverage companies have joined the Initiative: Burger King, Cadbury 

Adams, Campbell Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, 

The Hershey Company, Kellogg Company, Kraft Foods, Mars, McDonald’s USA, PepsiCo, 

and Unilever United States. These companies are estimated to have accounted for more than 

two-thirds of food and beverage television advertising directed to children in 2004,95 and all 

but one provided a response to the FTC’s Special Order.96 Each participating company has 

submitted a pledge, setting forth the specifics of its commitment, which has been approved by

the CBBB.97 Appendix E to this Report contains tables summarizing the details of each pledge. 

The Commission encourages other industry members to join the Initiative.

Four companies – Cadbury Adams, Coca-Cola, Hershey, and Mars – have pledged not 

to direct any advertising to children under 12. The other nine companies have each adopted 

minimum nutritional standards for foods and beverages they will market to children under 12, 

and have pledged that 100% of their child-directed advertising will be limited to qualifying 

“healthy dietary choices,”98 or, in the case of one company, may also include healthy lifestyle 

messages.99 These commitments go beyond the Initiative’s requirement that at least 50% of 

child-directed ads promote healthy dietary choices or contain healthy lifestyle messages.
Assessment of Food Company Health Initiatives and Recommendations

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Under the terms of the Initiative, the pledges apply to advertising on television and radio, in 

print, and on the Internet, including company-owned and third-party websites.100 Some company 

pledges go beyond this requirement to apply to all advertising directed to children, but most are 

limited to what the Initiative requires. In addition, the Initiative’s requirement that companies 

reduce their use of licensed characters101 does not extend to the use of such characters on product 

packaging.102 The product placement principle, as defined in the Initiative’s Program Documen

prohibits companies from “paying for or actively seeking” placement in content directed to 

children, but does not prohibit them from approving or accepting a “free” offer to place their 

products in such media.103

The Initiative’s Program Document does not define what constitutes “advertising directed to

children under 12,” and the standards set forth in the pledges vary. For example, one company’s 

criteria for television include any program for which more than 25% of the audience consists of 

children under 12. Other companies use 30% or 35% as a threshold, and still others use 50%. 

Some companies also consider a variety of other factors in determining whether the advertising 

is directed to children, including whether the program is specifically targeted to or designed to

appeal primarily to children, the time of the program, and the program content.

Criteria for what constitutes a “healthy dietary choice” product also vary by company.104 

The criteria generally involve limitations on calories, fat, sugar, and sodium, and/or the inclusion 

of certain nutrients deemed beneficial for children. For example, the QSR companies’standar

for kids’ meals contain limits on both total calories and calories derived from fat, as well as the 

amount of sugar contained in a kids’ meal. One packaged food company has adopted criteria 

limiting total calories and sugar, and requiring that the product either qualify as “healthy” 

pursuant to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standard or provide various nutritional 

benefits, such as a half-serving of whole grains or fruits. Some companies that offer multip

lines of products, such as soups, snack crackers, and canned pasta, have adopted different criteria 

for each product line. Thus, although each company has specific guidelines for what constitut

“healthy dietary choices” that may be marketed to children, these standards are not uniform.

In addition, participating companies are implementing their pledges on different schedules. 

Some pledges were effective immediately upon approval by the CBBB in 2007 or shortly 

thereafter, while other companies committed to full implementation by early 2008 or the end of 

2008. Two companies have pledges of limited duration, but are expected to submit supplemental 

pledges prior to the expiration dates.

The Initiative reflects substantial cooperative effort by food marketers and the CBBB, and

it has an important role to play in the effort to address childhood obesity. The Commission 
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commends this effort. At the same time, however, the Commission also encourages the CBBB 

and participants to strengthen the core principles of the Initiative. For example, the pledges 

should be extended to cover all forms of advertising to children – not just television, radio, 

print, and Internet advertising. As discussed in Section III of this Report, food and beverage 

companies use a broad spectrum of advertising and marketing to target children, and, to be fully 

effective, the pledges should address all of those techniques. The current product packaging 

exception to the character licensing commitment is significant given the widespread use of

licensed characters on packaging.105 The product placement provision does not limit “free” or 

unsolicited placements. Expanding the scope of the pledges would address these issues. In 

addition, variations among the companies’ definitions of what constitutes advertising “directed

to children” create an uneven landscape among the participants and pose a challenge to 

monitoring compliance with the pledges. Similar challenges are posed by the variations among 

the nutritional criteria for “healthy dietary choices” that may be marketed to children. The 

Commission encourages the CBBB and participants to work toward more consistency in these 

standards.

There also appear to be some limitations on the scope of the pledges with regard to QSR 

franchisees. Independently owned and operated franchises (as opposed to company-owned 

franchises) engage in promotional activities that are addressed by the Initiative, including 

television, radio, and in-school advertising. However, the independent franchises are not 

necessarily bound by the corporation’s pledge.106

Recommendation

• The CBBB should closely monitor participating companies’ compliance with their 

pledges.

• The CBBB and participating companies should enhance the Initiative in the 

following ways:

• Expand the scope of “advertising to children” beyond advertising on television 

and radio, in print media, and on the Internet, to encompass all advertising and 

promotional techniques, including but not limited to: product packaging and 

labeling; advertising preceding a movie shown in a movie theater or placed on a 

video (DVD or VHS) or within a video game; promotional content transmitted 

to personal computers and other digital or mobile devices; advertising displays 

and promotions at the retail site; specialty or premium items distributed in 

connection with the sale of a product; promotion or sponsorship of public 

entertainment events; product placements; character licensing, toy co-branding 

and cross-promotions; sponsorship of sports teams or individual athletes; wordof-mouth and viral marketing; celebrity endorsements; and in-school marketing.
Assessment of Food Company Health Initiatives and Recommendations

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• Require that 100% of food advertising directed to children under 12 promotes 

healthy dietary choices.

• In cases where a product line contains some product varieties that meet a 

company’s nutrition criteria for a “healthy dietary choice” and others that do not, 

the company should strictly limit all components of a promotion or advertising 

campaign directed to children under 12 to those varieties that meet the criteria. 

Thus, for example, television or print advertisements promoting a sweepstakes 

would feature only the varieties of the product that represent healthy dietary 

choices, and licensed characters would appear only on packages of the varieties 

that are healthy dietary choices.

• Work toward standardizing the nutrition criteria for “healthy dietary choices” that 

may be marketed to children, such as by product category (e.g., for beverages, 

cereals, snack foods, soups, canned pastas, and frozen entrees).

• In applicable cases, companies should re-examine whether the fact that a product 

has “less” of, or is “reduced” in, calories or certain nutrients (e.g., sodium, sugar, 

or fat) is, by itself, a sufficient basis for qualifying as a “healthy dietary choice.”

• Work toward developing meaningful, standardized definitions for what constitutes

advertising “directed to children under 12.” In considering how to define “direct

to children,” the CBBB and participating companies should consider, where relevant 

to the advertising medium, factors such as the percentage of the audience under 

12; the total number of children reached; the time of day and venue in which the 

advertising appears; and whether the advertising features characters, performers, 

or celebrities who are popular with children, or contains themes, language, or other 

attributes designed to appeal to children.

• Require companies not to engage in, approve, or allow placement of their product in 

media directed to children under 12.

• Require participating companies to ensure that their franchisees are bound by the 

companies’ pledge commitments, such as by incorporating the pledge commitments 

into any franchisee contracts.

2. “Better for You” products

As noted above, one of the recommendations from the 2006 Report encouraged companies 

to offer more products that are lower in calories and more nutritious. Since January 2006, many 

of the reporting companies have heeded the call by developing new or reformulated products 

designed to provide more nutritious – or “better for you” – options to consumers, including 

products marketed to children and adolescents.107

For example, companies have improved the nutritional profiles of existing products by

reducing calories, saturated and trans fats, sugar, and sodium, and/or by adding “positive” 

nutrients such as important vitamins and minerals, whole grains, and other fortifying ingredients. 
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Some companies have reformulated products that particularly appeal to children, including 

soups, canned pastas and other entrees, and snack foods, to reduce fat and sodium content or 

eliminate trans fat. A number of breakfast cereals – a product frequently marketed to children – 

have been reformulated to contain less fat, less sugar, and more fiber, as have a number of lunch

and dinner products popular with children. Several companies state that they have ongoing 

programs to evaluate and enhance the nutritional quality of their existing products.

Many companies have developed new “better for you” products as well, such as 100% 

fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies, and “light” (i.e., reduced calorie) and “fat free” or 

reduced-fat snack products. Other new products include cereals, snack bars, yogurt products, 

juices, and fruit snacks fortified with vitamins and minerals, fiber, or whole grain, or with low

or reduced sugar, and reduced sodium soups. New, vitamin-enhanced beverages have been 

brought to market, as have many low-calorie drinks, and some of these products were developed 

specifically for children. One company introduced new lines of frozen vegetables that are low 

fat and designed to help consumers eat more vegetables – including products featuring popular 

children’s characters on the packaging.

Some QSRs have revised their kids’ menu offerings to include more nutritious products, 

such as fruit and low-fat milk as alternatives to French fries and soda, or a chewy granola bar and 

100% juice as side-dish choices. One chain has eliminated trans fat from some of its products, 

others are reducing their use of trans fat, while another allows consumers to order certain menu 

items “Fresco style,” with lower fat content. Other efforts by QSR companies include the 

introduction of lower- and no-calorie beverages, reductions in the size of individual entrees, 

and the reformulation of some products. One QSR also reports that its restaurants in one state 

are participating in a pilot study to promote meal combinations that meet nutritional standards 

established by the state’s public health agency.

These new product offerings are commendable steps in the right direction. The Commission 

encourages food and beverage companies to continue their efforts to improve the nutritional 

profiles of their products, especially those marketed to children and adolescents. The nutrition

criteria adopted for “better for you” products should not be set in stone, but can be improved 

upon as companies find ways to lower the sugar, fat, and sodium without sacrificing taste and

appeal.

In this regard, the Commission is also mindful that “better for you” does not necessarily 

mean “good for you.” For example, a new product that has less saturated fat or sodium than its 

original version is certainly improved, but may not be “healthy” or “good for you,” especially if 

the new version still contains significant amounts of fat, sodium, or calories, or lacks beneficial
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nutrients such as whole grains, fiber, or lean protein. Food and beverage marketers should 

careful to advertise their “better for you” products in a truthful, non-misleading manner.108

Recommendation

• Companies should continue and increase efforts to improve the nutritional profiles

of their products – especially those marketed to children and adolescents – through 

product innovation and reformulation.

• Companies should improve upon the nutritional criteria adopted for “better for you” 

products as they find ways to lower sugar, fat, sodium, etc., without sacrificing taste

and appeal.

• In applicable cases, companies should re-examine whether the fact that a product 

has “less” of, or is “reduced” in, calories or certain nutrients (e.g., sodium, sugar, 

or fat) is, by itself, a sufficient basis for qualifying as a “better for you” product.

3. Innovative Packaging

Responding to another recommendation from the 2006 Report, a number of companies are 

expanding their use of product packaging to help consumers control portion sizes and calories. 

For example, several reporting companies have begun offering some of their snack foods in 

smaller portions and single servings, such as 90- or 100-calorie packs or single-serve cups of 

snack cakes, snack crackers and chips, cookies, and fruit snacks. Beverages are also offered in 

new portion options, including “mini-boxes” of juice (just over four ounces) and 100-calorie 

cans and pouches of carbonated soft drinks and other beverages. Some of these products are 

altogether new, while others are existing products simply repackaged into smaller portions. 

Some of these products are described by the food companies as more nutritious or “better 

for you,” but many others do not fall into that category. In either case, these smaller-portion 

offerings, some of which are marketed to children and/or teens, can help consumers control 

portion size and limit caloric intake.

Produce companies, too, are offering new product varieties in smaller, convenient sizes. 

One now markets several fresh fruit and vegetable combination products packaged in portioncorrect sizes, while another sells smaller, snack-sized fresh fruit, as well as fruit packaged in 

snack-sized portions.

Produce companies are also using packaging to make their nutritious products appealing 

to children. They are using popular licensed characters – such as Curious George, SpongeBob 

SquarePants, and Sesame Street characters – on packages of frozen vegetables, displays of 

fresh fruit, and even stickers on the produce itself. One company now offers a fresh fruit and 

vegetable product in a Mickey-Mouse shaped tray.
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Recommendation

• Companies should continue and expand efforts to package more nutritious products 

in ways that are more appealing to children.

• Companies should continue efforts to use product packaging to help consumers 

control portion sizes and calories, by offering smaller portions and single-serving 

packages.

4. Nutritional Labeling

The 2006 Report encouraged food companies to explore the use of labeling initiatives to 

help consumers identify lower-calorie, more nutritious foods. Many of the reporting companies 

are doing so, and they are tackling the issue in different ways. Some companies use icons or 

seals designed to help consumers quickly and easily identify more nutritious, lower-calorie 

products. Other companies have developed prominent, front-of-box graphics that provide 

consumers with information about the amount of calories and specific nutrients in the product,

such as fat, sugar, and sodium.109 Still other companies use different labeling techniques to 

highlight particular nutritional attributes of their products, such as the fact that the product is 

“low fat,” has “reduced sodium,” or contains whole grains.

a. Icons and Se

i. Company Icons

Four of the reporting companies have developed an icon or seal program for products that 

meet certain nutritional criteria: Kraft has the “Sensible Solution” icon, PepsiCo has the “Smart 

Spot,” Unilever uses “Eat Smart” and “Drink Smart” icons, and McKee uses the “Snack Smart” 

seal.110 Some of these programs were in place prior to the 2005 Workshop, while at least one 

was developed subsequently.111 These icons are simple, colorful, easy-to-recognize graphics 

prominently displayed on product packaging.

According to the companies, these icons were designed to help consumers identify “better 

for you” products or to limit their intake of certain nutrients in order to eat more healthfully.112 

Currently, such icons appear on hundreds of food and beverage products on grocery store 

shelves, including breakfast cereals, cereal bars, nuts and trail mixes, cookies, crackers, baked 

potato chips, puddings, cheese, prepared foods and meals, fruit juices, sports drinks, carbonated 

soft drinks, and other beverages.

To qualify for an icon, a food or beverage product must satisfy certain nutritional criteria 

established by the individual company. These criteria are reportedly derived from established 

government and scientific guidelines such as the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
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(developed by HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)), authoritative statements 

of the FDA and National Academy of Sciences, and other sources.113

The criteria fall into two general categories. First, a product may qualify by meeting specif

nutrient criteria per serving – for example, the product meets limits on calories, fat, sodium, and 

sugar, and also either provides a meaningful amount of a beneficial nutrient (such as protein,

calcium, fiber, whole grain) or delivers a functional benefit to the body (such as supporting heart

health).114 A second type of criterion is based on the fact that a product is “reduced,” “low” in, 

or “free” of calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, or sodium (typically as compared to the “original” 

version of the existing product), or is formulated to have specific health or wellness benefits.

This second type of criterion, used by two companies, does not require that the product meet 

any particular “positive” nutritional threshold; rather, a product can qualify for “better for you” 

status by virtue of having less of a negative attribute than the original version of the product. 

For example, to qualify for Kraft’s “Sensible Solution” seal, a product can simply be “free” of, 

“low” in, or contain 25% less calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, or sodium, compared to similar 

products.115 Similarly, Pepsi’s Smart Spot icon may appear on products that are reduced in 

calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, or sugar.116

“Better for you” icon programs are intended to influence consumer purchasing decisions,

and they can have an impact. One company has publicly stated that sales of its icon-bearing 

products are growing two to three times faster than the rest of its portfolio.117 Another company 

reported that sales of its icon-bearing products have outgrown non-icon products each year since 

the program’s inception, and the icon products’ share of total company sales has increased each 

year, as well.118 One other company reported less success when it reformulated several products 

to meet its “better for you” nutrition criteria.

ii. Third-Party Seals

Some of the reporting companies are using third-party seals on their products to convey 

nutrition information to consumers. For example, five companies reported that they use t

American Heart Association’s “heart-check” mark on their products that qualify. The AHA’s 

standard requires that a serving of the product contain no more than 3 grams of fat, 1 gram of 

saturated fat, 20 mg of cholesterol, and 480 mg of sodium, and contain 10% or more of the daily 

value of Vitamin A or C, iron, calcium, protein, or dietary fiber.119 The companies using the mark 

include fruit and vegetable companies, as well as traditional food manufacturers. One company 

reports that it has more than 150 products that bear the mark, some of which are advertised to 

children and/or teens. Other third-party seals used by reporting companies include the “Fruit & 

Veggies – More Matters” logo, signifying that the products meet nutritional criteria established 
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by the Produce for Better Health Foundation,120 and the WG Stamp, promoted by the Whole 

Grains Council, which identifies products meeting certain guidelines for whole grain content.121

b. Nutrition Informati

As an alternative approach to an icon program, several companies have developed front-ofpackage labeling systems that present nutrition information to consumers in a standardized, easyto-read format. General Mills, for example, uses a “Nutrition Highlights” graphic on some of its 

products, displaying the amount and the percentage of daily value per serving of calories and key 

“negative” nutrients – such as saturated fat, sodium, and sugar – as well as “positive” nutrients 

– such as whole grain, fiber, and calcium.122 Kellogg’s has implemented a similar “Nutrition at 

a GlanceTM” banner, which provides the same type of information, such as “100 Calories (5%)” 

or “6 mg Vitamin C (10%).”123 In 2008, ConAgra launched a labeling system, based on USDA’s 

“MyPyramid” recommendations, that uses colorful icons designed to tell consumers how much 

of important nutrients are contained in the product.124

This approach to nutrition labeling has a different purpose than an icon or seal program. It 

is designed to provide consumers with factual information in a prominent, easy-to-read format, 

to help consumers make their own purchase decision, rather than indicating that the company 

has predetermined that the product is “good” or “better.”125 It also facilitates comparison of 

nutritional information among various products.

One QSR has begun providing nutritional information on the packaging of some of its menu 

items, including children’s meal packaging and several of the individual products available in 

those meals. This information includes total calories and the amounts of fat, carbohydrates, 

protein, and sodium. Unlike the other nutritional labeling described above, however, this 

information is presented to the consumer after purchase, and in several instances, the information 

appears on the bottom of the packaging.126

c. Private Initia

The issue of nutrition labeling and how best to assist consumers in identifying more 

nutritious food and beverages is complex. One criticism of current industry approaches is the 

lack of uniformity in the criteria for what constitutes a “better for you” product.

As a possible alternative to the array of icons and nutrition labeling currently on the market, 

many individual companies have come together to work on developing a uniform, industrywide nutrition icon. The effort is being led by the Keystone Center’s Food and Nutrition 

Roundtable. The Keystone group includes stakeholders from industry, government, academia, 

consumer groups, and public health advocates. Like individual company icons, the Keystone 
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effort is focused on developing a simple, front-of-package icon based on nutrition criteria to help 

consumers make healthier choices. The outcome of this effort is expected to be announced in the 

Fall of 2008.

Other private initiatives are underway to develop a single nutrition icon that would be 

used across all food products. For example, the Yale Griffin Prevention Research Center h

supported the development of a 100-point ranking system that assigns a score to foods based on 

their overall nutritional quality. The score provides the basis for a color-coded icon that would 

be placed on front of packaging or on store shelves. The Overall Nutritional Quality Index 

(ONQI) system is scheduled to be launched in the second half of 2008, with a cooperative of 

grocery store chains using the icon on their private label food products.

In a similar vein, one regional grocery store chain, Hannaford, has developed and 

implemented its own innovative nutrition rating system, called “Guiding Stars,” to help 

consumers easily identify more nutritious foods. Nearly every food and beverage product sold 

in the stores is evaluated for nutritional value and rated: “healthy” products get one star, better 

choices get two stars, the best get three, and foods with no nutritional value get no stars.127 

Products get credit if they contain nutrients consumers need more of – vitamins, minerals, dietary 

fiber, and whole grains – and lose credit for nutrients consumers need less of – saturated and

trans fats, cholesterol, added sodium, and added sugars.128 Since the program’s launch in 2006, 

less than a third of the store’s 25,000 products have earned any star at all.129 Sales of many 

“starred” products – such as cereals, soups, snack foods, and frozen dinners – have reportedly 

increased at twice the rate, or more, of unstarred products.130 Hannaford is expanding this system 

to two subsidiary chains, Sweetbay and Food Lion.

d. Other Nutrition Labeli

Beyond icons and nutrition information labels, reporting companies use product labels in a 

number of other ways to highlight particular nutritional attributes of their products. Some fruit 

and vegetable marketers affix stickers and “hang-tags” to their products, informing consumers

that the products are “chock full of Vitamin C” or a “super food for your joints.” Another 

produce company uses a Mickey Mouse thumb’s-up “Check It Out” symbol to highlight 

benefits of its products – stating, for example, that the product is a “Good Source of Vitamin C.”

Similarly, other companies use product labels such as “0 Trans Fat,” “100% Fruit Juice,” “Made 

with Whole Grain,” or “good source of calcium.”

Some companies have developed products or product lines whose names denote that they are 

“better for you” by using words such as “Healthy,” “Fat Free,” “Sugar Free,” “Baked,” “Light,” 

“Reduced” or “Less.” Products making many of these labeling claims must meet certain FDA 
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criteria. Beverage companies, too, offer “Diet,” “Sugar Free,” “Zero Carb,” and other versions 

of their products.131

Recommendation

• Companies should conduct research on the effectiveness of various labeling devices 

to determine how consumers interpret such labeling and to identify those devices 

most effective at conveying meaningful, truthful information.

• Companies should work toward consistency among the standards used by individual 

food and beverage companies to determine what constitutes a “better for you” 

product, such as through the development and use of third-party standards, icons, or 

other devices. The Commission supports the work of the Keystone Center and others 

in this regard.

5. Competitive Foods and Beverages in Schools

As noted above, another key recommendation in the 2006 Report was that companies 

work to improve the nutritional quality of “competitive” foods and beverages sold in schools.132 

Together with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a number of food and beverage companies 

were already working on this front, and have made commendable progress through their 

guidelines for competitive foods and beverages. Some reporting companies also have worked 

to improve the nutritional profile of products they provide to school food service programs. 

addition, in 2007, the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Nutrition Standards for Foods in 

Schools issued its own recommendations for nutrition-based standards for competitive foods and 

beverages sold in schools.133 The Commission expects that all of these efforts will positively 

impact the nutritional quality of foods consumed by children in school.

a. Alliance for a Healthier Generation School 

Competitive Food Guid

In 2006, a number of food and beverage companies committed to limit the products they sell 

in schools.134 Together with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation,135 the companies created 

voluntary nutritional guidelines for competitive foods (such as snacks and side items) and drinks 

sold to children in elementary, middle, and high schools outside the school meal program. 

The resulting School Beverage Guidelines and Competitive Foods Guidelines are designed to 

decrease the caloric value, and increase the nutritional value, of these products.

The nutritional guidelines vary, depending on the type of food or beverage. For beverages, 

the guidelines impose caloric and size limitations on milk, juice, and other drinks.136 The 

restrictions vary, depending on the school in which the product is sold. For example, in 

elementary schools, only water, milk and 100% juice may be offered, whereas in high schools, 
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the choices may include no- or low-calorie beverages such as diet soft drinks, flavored water, and

some sports drinks.137 Notably, full-calorie soft drinks do not comply with the Guidelines and 

may not be sold. For foods, specific requirements apply to fruits and vegetables, cheese, egg

soups, snacks, and all other competitive food products.138 Products in each category must meet 

restrictions on calories, fat, sugar, and sodium, among others.139 The specific limitations on foo

and beverages are set forth in Appendix F.

Among the companies and other entities signing on to the School Beverage Guidelines 

are The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Inc., Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, 

The American Beverage Association, and numerous dairy processors and associations.140 

Competitive Foods Guidelines participants include Campbell Soup Company, The Dannon 

Company, Inc., Dole Food Company, Kraft Foods Global, Inc., Masterfoods USA (a division 

of Mars, Inc.), PepsiCo, Inc., Stemilt Growers, the Snack Food Association, and others.141 A 

number of these entities provided responses to the FTC’s Special Order142 and five are also

participants in the CBBB’s Children’s Advertising Initiative.143 Overall, the signatories to the 

Alliance Guidelines represent a significant portion of the market for competitive foods and

beverages offered in schools.

The distribution and sale of competitive food and beverage products in schools typically is 

handled by distributors, not the food and beverage companies themselves. Accordingly, Alliance 

participants may not have direct control over what products are placed in vending machines 

or otherwise offered for sale on school grounds. Recognizing this limitation, the Memoranda 

of Understanding require signatories to encourage adoption of the Guidelines by distributors 

and others in the distribution chain.144 Thus, one participating company reports that it “works 

proactively” with its distributors to ensure compliance with the Guidelines. In addition, the 

beverage companies have worked closely with their bottlers to facilitate compliance with the new 

Guidelines.145 The Guidelines require not only changes in the types of beverages sold in schools, 

but also changes in the package sizes and, in some cases, nutritional content. Bottlers reportedly 

have spent millions of dollars on compliance efforts, including retrofitting vending machines and

repackaging and reformulating products.146

Moreover, individual schools or school districts play a role in deciding which foods will be 

sold to students. The Commission is mindful that vending machines and other in-school sales 

of snacks and drinks can generate significant funds and other benefits for individual schools and

school districts, and that changes to product offerings may affect revenue.147 The Commission 

is confident, however, that, working together, the interested parties can find workable solutions

that will meet schools’ needs while also providing nutritionally improved competitive foods and 

beverages to their students.
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The Beverage Guidelines were announced in May 2006. As of September 2007, 

approximately 35% of all school beverage contracts complied with the Guidelines, including 

90% of new contracts entered into between bottlers and schools since the Guidelines took 

effect.148 In addition, the total number of calories in beverages shipped to schools dropped 41% 

between 2004 and 2006-07.149 The Alliance stated that the industry was on track toward its 

goal of 100% compliance by the start of the 2009-2010 school year.150 The Competitive Foods 

Guidelines were announced in October 2006. Compliance data are not yet available but are 

expected in 2009.

b. Other Company In

Separate from the Alliance, some reporting companies have improved the nutritional profile

of their food products used in school food service programs, such as cereals, other breakfast 

foods, lunch entrees, and snack items. For example, a number of companies reported new 

products that meet the “35-10-35” guidelines for fat, saturated fat, and sugar,151 and/or that 

provide additional benefits such as whole grain; a good or excellent source of vitamins and

nutrients that children need; and reduced calories, sodium, or sugar; or zero trans fat. The 

new products involve both reformulations of products previously offered in schools, and the 

introduction of new, better-for-you options.

As with competitive foods, food service products generally appear to be distributed and sold 

to schools by third-party distributors. Individual food manufacturers can, however, reformulate 

their products or create new ones to provide healthier choices for school children. Many have 

done so already, and the Commission encourages the continuation and expansion of those efforts.

Recommendation

• Companies should continue efforts to improve the nutritional profile of foods and

beverages sold in schools.

• All companies that sell competitive food or beverage products in schools should join 

the Alliance for a Healthier Generation or otherwise adopt and adhere to meaningful 

nutrition-based standards for foods and beverages sold in schools, such as those 

recommended by the Institute of Medicine.

• Participating companies should consider incorporating their Alliance commitments 

into distributor contracts.

• Companies should cease all in-school promotion of products that do not meet 

meaningful nutrition-based standards.
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• The Commission encourages schools and school districts, as part of their school 

wellness policies, to adopt and implement meaningful nutrition-based standards for 

competitive foods sold in schools.

6. Healthy Messages

As noted above, the 2006 Report recommended that food companies explore ways 

to improve public education efforts about nutrition and fitness.152 Likewise, the Report 

recommended that food companies partner with other organizations “to develop and support 

substantial public education programs that promote nutrition and fitness to children, including

outreach programs in local communities.”153 The 2006 Report also recommended that food 

companies “promote more nutritious, lower-calorie products to racial and ethnic minority 

populations in which childhood obesity rates are high,” and that food companies and media and 

entertainment companies tailor education and outreach efforts about nutrition and fitness to these

populations.154

The reporting companies have engaged in a variety of public outreach activities to promote 

nutrition and exercise to children through their own initiatives and through partnerships with 

national and local organizations. Some of the reported activities preceded the 2005 Workshop, 

but have continued or expanded. Companies have used a range of techniques to promote healthy 

messages, such as underwriting youth sports and nutrition initiatives, disseminating information 

through print publications and company-sponsored websites, and providing health and fitness

information and equipment to schools. The reporting companies have directed their outreach and 

education efforts to children and teens, as well as to parents, teachers, and coaches.

Many of the reporting companies have partnered with government bodies, media companies, 

non-profit organizations, and other entities to promote nutrition and physical activities for

children and teens. Examples of these collaborations include:

• Supporting the efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 

the Produce for Better Health Foundation to promote consumption of fruits and 

vegetables;155

• Partnering with the American Dairy Association’s “Got Milk” campaign and the 

“3-A-Day” dairy program;156

• Partnering with Sesame Workshop to promote Sesame’s Healthy Habits for Life 

program;157

• Supporting YMCA programs, including “Activate America”;158

• Partnering with the Ad Council and with television networks to air child-directed 

public service announcements and advertisements promoting nutrition and fitness;
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• Sponsoring activities of the Boys & Girls Clubs, such as the “Triple Play” wellness 

program;159

• Supporting the Kidnetic website, a child-oriented health and fitness resource

site, offered as part of the International Food Information Council Foundation’s 

ACTIVATE outreach program;160

• Sponsoring the America on the Move Foundation’s nutrition and fitness campaign;161

• Partnering with the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the President’s 

Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to promote healthy lifestyle programs;

• Sponsoring Shaping America’s Youth nutrition and fitness initiative to centralize

information on programs around the nation to combat childhood obesity;162 and

• Pledging to promote the USDA’s MyPyramid Food Guidance System and to 

encourage physical activity through product promotion or public education efforts.163

Several of the reporting companies have distributed printed materials (e.g., brochures, 

magazines, books, and stickers) to encourage healthy eating by children and families. In 

many instances, they also have included nutrition and fitness advice on brand websites or

other company-sponsored sites. Some companies have posted nutrition and healthy lifestyles 

information specifically on child-directed portions of their sites. For example, a multibrand company developed a child-focused interactive website with information about th

benefits of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and exercise. A produce company developed 

interactive website with nutrition-based games, animated characters, and eating and exercise 

tips to encourage children to consume healthy foods and be active. A QSR also developed an 

interactive website, featuring licensed characters from a popular children’s animated movie, that 

combined online games with offline activity challenges.

Many of the reporting companies sponsored national, regional, and local youth sporting 

activities, clinics, and camps in fields such as baseball, track and field, basketball, and soccer.

For example, beverage companies and QSRs were among companies that sponsored soccer and 

basketball activities, with one company sponsoring a community youth soccer program involving 

over 7,000 adolescents competing in a series of tournaments that culminated in an international 

World Cup style event. A QSR supported a sports leadership academy for adolescent girls, and 

a candy company sponsors track and field meets in which over 300,000 children and adolescents

compete annually. Several companies described these activities as opportunities to introduce 

children and adolescents to physical fitness and, in turn, to allow them to have fun, and develop

athletic and teamwork skills, confidence, and a sense of achievement.

In addition, several reporting companies have offered nutrition and exercise information 

to schools, such as lesson plans, educational materials, and fitness programs. For example, o
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company supported an in-school “healthy eating” facts newsletter to be sent home with grade 

school children, and developed educational materials for pre-K and kindergarten classrooms on 

the importance of proper diet, nutrition, and physical activity. Another company collaborated 

with the President’s Challenge164 to develop a national health and fitness initiative for middle

school students. The program features inspirational celebrities to promote healthy eating and 

physical activity, and provides teachers with unbranded materials on how to incorporate lessons 

on healthy living in their curricula.

Several of the initiatives highlighted by the reporting companies have been aimed at 

Hispanic and African American populations, in which rates of childhood obesity are high. 

For example, two packaged food companies reported partnerships with outside organizations 

to promote youth programs focused on Latin dance in the Hispanic community.165 Another 

company reported distributing a magazine with nutrition and other information to assist 

Hispanic mothers with children at home. A packaged food company has partnered with the BET 

Foundation to promote health and nutrition to African American families, especially women 

and girls, through the “Healthy BET” program. Healthy BET activities have included television 

PSAs, an informational website and toll-free hotline, an obesity camp for girls, a national fitness

challenge, and a health forum.166 The same company offers grants to non-profit organizatio

to promote nutrition and fitness, with the majority of grant money reportedly going to support

children of color.167 Some companies also reported sponsoring sports programs or events 

focusing on Hispanic and African American youth. In addition, a beverage company engaged in 

nutrition-related events aimed at the Hispanic population, and supported a Hispanic community 

organization that addressed topics such as childhood nutrition and development.

As in the case of product-specific promotional campaigns, some companies have adopted

an integrated approach to healthy message campaigns, using several media avenues to reach 

children and teens. For example, a campaign that aims to increase consumption of milk by teens 

includes a teen-targeted interactive website, milk-mustache celebrity endorsements, and inschool posters. Similarly, a beverage company’s educational platform has been featured on the 

children’s portion of the company website, in school materials, in sponsored events promoting 

physical activity, and through funding and support of fitness activities of certain community

organizations. A packaged food company’s campaign to promote produce, whole grains, and 

exercise featured an interactive website, links on company-sponsored and third-party websites, 

spots on a popular children’s cable television network, and other media avenues.

The 2006 Report also recommended that food and beverage companies conduct consumer 

research on the impact of their healthy message initiatives, in order to identify simple, 

effective messages.168 Some of the reporting companies have sought to examine the potential 
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effectiveness of specific healthy messaging campaigns on consumer behavior. For exampl

a packaged food company has examined the impact of its child-directed campaign to promote 

exercise and consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as its health and 

nutrition grant program. A milk marketer has analyzed the impact of its youth-directed 

promotion on milk consumption in a sample of secondary schools. A beverage company has 

evaluated the effectiveness of its nutrition and fitness program for elementary school students,

which was developed in collaboration with another organization.

Recommendation

• Companies should expand public outreach efforts – through company-sponsored 

initiatives, third-party partnerships, and innovative and varied media techniques – to 

educate children and teens about the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

• Companies should devote particular attention to outreach aimed at ethnic 

minority populations that are disproportionately affected by childhood 

overweight and obesity.

• Companies should continue researching the effectiveness of their campaigns to 

educate and motivate youth to engage in healthier lifestyles.

7. Media and Entertainment Company Initiatives

In addition to efforts by food and beverage marketers, several media and entertainment 

companies have taken steps to encourage healthier eating and healthier lifestyles by children. A 

number of companies have adopted policies to limit the licensing of their popular characters for 

use in marketing foods meeting certain nutritional guidelines. Disney announced in October 

2006 that it would use its characters – such as Mickey Mouse and others – only on products that 

meet specific nutritional requirements.169 Sesame Workshop has pledged to license its characters 

only for more nutritious, lower-calorie products, and has partnered with a number of produce 

companies to promote fruits and vegetables; consumers now see Elmo promoting strawberries 

and cherries, Big Bird on applesauce, and Cookie Monster on cans of corn.170 Similarly, 

Discovery Kids and the Cartoon Network now license their characters for use on food packaging 

and promotional tie-ins only for products meeting nutritional standards for fat, calories, and 

sugar.171 Nickelodeon – which since 2005 has licensed its SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the 

Explorer characters for use on packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables172 – has pledged to limit 

licensing of its characters exclusively to better-for-you foods by 2009.173 Most recently, in 2008, 

Warner Bros. announced it has partnered with Safeway supermarkets to license its Looney Tunes 

characters for use on Safeway branded kids’ products meeting certain nutritional standards; 
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as part of the deal, Warner Bros. pledged to stop featuring the characters on “unhealthy” food 

packaging.174

These initiatives can have an impact. One clementine seller has reported that “[m]ajor 

grocers sold nearly 30% more clementines based on the appeal of the Nickelodeon packaging.”175 

In a similar vein, at the FTC’s 2007 Forum, a Sesame Workshop representative discussed 

research showing that the appearance of a Sesame character on a particular food noticeably 

increased its appeal to children.176 In 2007, McDonald’s integrated DreamWorks’ Shrek 

character into packaging for healthy choices, such as apple slices, milk, water, and carrots, and, 

according to a trade press report, sales of apple slices and milk increased by 37% and 21%, 

respectively.177

Media companies are taking other steps as well. The Disney Channel announced at the 

2007 Forum that it now requires food companies to meet nutritional guidelines in order to 

sponsor Disney Channel programming.178 In addition, the Disney Channel is incorporating 

healthy messages into the programs themselves.179 Similarly, Ion Media Networks – which 

through a partner produces children’s weekend programming aired on NBC and Telemundo – has 

committed not to air national ads for unhealthy foods or beverages on its children’s shows, and 

to create new story lines promoting good eating habits and physical activity.180 Nickelodeon has 

devoted nearly $30 million and 10% of air time to health and wellness messaging to children.181 

The “Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge,” launched by Nickelodeon and the American Heart 

Association in 2006, includes television spots that highlight healthy lifestyles and grants to 

community organizations that encourage play.182 One media company has also aired television 

ads and other messaging highlighting the fact that its licensed character now appears on packages 

of fresh produce.

Recommendation

• More media and entertainment companies should limit the licensing of their 

characters to healthier foods and beverages that are marketed to children, so that 

cross-promotions with popular children’s movies and television characters will favor 

the more, rather than the less, nutritious foods and drinks.

• Media companies should consider adopting uniform, objective standards that limit 

advertising placements on programs “directed to children” to healthier food and 

beverage products.

• Media and entertainment companies should continue to incorporate health and 

nutrition messages into programming and editorial content, and to create public 

education campaigns aimed at the problem of childhood obesity.
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• Media and entertainment companies should test the effectiveness of any health 

and nutrition messages and public education campaigns aimed at the problem of 

childhood obesity.

• Media and entertainment companies should consider the feasibility of instituting a 

self-regulatory initiative to facilitate implementation of the recommendations above. 

The companies should consider working with the CBBB in this endeavor.

C. Measuring the Success of Company Initiatives

As discussed above, food and beverage companies, media and entertainment companies, 

and others have made notable progress on implementing many of the recommendations from the 

2006 Report. Going forward, the Commission will continue to monitor future developments in 

these areas.

One important – and challenging – component of assessing the impact of the various 

initiatives will be measuring their effect on actual consumption of better-for-you and more 

nutritious foods by children and adolescents. Individual companies may – and likely do – 

track sales of their various product lines. For example, this Report has discussed some data 

indicating that sales of certain products bearing “better for you” icons have outpaced sales of 

non-icon products, and that the use of popular licensed characters on some healthier products 

has increased sales of those items.183 This type of information is not always readily or publicly 

available, however. Therefore, the Commission recommends that food and beverage companies 

consider how best to measure changes in consumption of more nutritious products that they 

market to children and teens.
Conclusion

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V. Conclusion

The food and beverage companies surveyed for this Report spent more than $1.6 billion

marketing their products to children and adolescents in 2006. The companies employed myriad 

techniques, including traditional measured media, the Internet and other “new” media, as well 

as product packaging, in-store advertising, and event promotions, to name just a few. Integrated 

advertising campaigns that combined several of these techniques, often involving crosspromotions, were prevalent.

Whether there is a link between food marketing to children and childhood obesity is a 

question not addressed by this Report. Regardless, the Commission believes the food and 

entertainment and media industries can take action to market healthier foods and encourage 

positive changes in children’s diet and health. Indeed, since 2006, many food and beverage 

companies, media and entertainment companies, and other entities, have taken steps to 

implement the recommendations from the 2006 Report. The Commission is pleased to recognize 

these significant efforts, and encourages their continuation and expansion, as set forth in the

recommendations in Section IV of this Report.

In addition, based on the findings in Sections II and III regarding expenditures and activities

in marketing food to children and adolescents, the Commission makes the following additional 

general recommendations:

• All companies that market food or beverage products to children should adopt and 

adhere to meaningful nutrition-based standards for marketing their products to 

children under 12. A useful first step would be to join the CBBB Initiativ

• Companies should broadly construe “marketing” to include all forms of 

advertising and promotional techniques.

• In cases where a product line contains some product varieties that meet the 

nutrition-based standard and others that do not, companies should strictly limit 

all components of a promotion or advertising campaign directed to children 

under 12 to those varieties that meet the standard. Thus, for example, television 

or print advertisements promoting a sweepstakes would feature only the “better 

for you” varieties of the product, and licensed characters would appear only on 

packages of the “better for you” varieties.

• Companies should consider limiting branded merchandise intended for children to 

products or brand lines meeting meaningful nutrition-based standards.

The Commission is hopeful that continued efforts by all relevant entities will yield more 

progress in addressing the issue of childhood obesity. Going forward, the Commission will 

continue to monitor future developments in this area and, after allowing a reasonable time for 
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response to the recommendations contained in this Report, will issue a follow-up report assessing 

the extent to which the recommendations have been implemented and identifying what, if any, 

additional measures may be warranted.
Endnotes

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Endnotes

1. The Conference Report (H.R. Rep. No. 109-272 (2005)) for the Commission’s FY 2006 appropriation legislation (Pub. L. No. 109-108) incorporated by reference language from the Senate Report directing the FTC to 

submit a report to the Committee regarding:

marketing activities and expenditures of the food industry targeted toward children and adolescents. 

The report should include an analysis of commercial advertising time on television, radio, and in 

print media; in-store marketing; direct payments for preferential shelf placement; events; promotions 

on packaging; all Internet activities; and product placements in television shows, movies, and video 

games.

S. Rep. No. 109-88, at 108 (2005).

2. The research methodology is explained in Appendix A.

3. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or 

Opportunity? (2006) (IOM Study). The IOM Study stated, at ES-5 to ES-6, that “food and beverage marketing extends far beyond television and is changing rapidly to include integrated marketing campaigns that 

extend to new media platforms that target multiple venues simultaneously. Virtually no scientific studies a

available on these other tools.” A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation of online food marketing to children likewise noted the dearth of information about marketing activities on the Internet and in other emerging 

media. Elizabeth S. Moore, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, It’s Child’s Play: Advergaming and the 

Online Marketing of Food to Children 1 (2006), available at www.kff.org/entmedia/7536.cfm.

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Overweight and Obesity: Childhood Overweight (2007), 

available at www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood/index.htm.

5. IOM Study at ES-1 and 1-1 to 1-2.

6. See Section IV of this Report.

7. The agenda and transcript of proceedings from the 2005 Workshop are available at www.ftc.gov/bcp/

workshops/foodmarketingtokids/index.shtm.

8. Federal Trade Commission & Department of Health and Human Services, Perspectives on Marketing, 

Self-Regulation & Childhood Obesity (2006) (2006 Report), available at www.ftc.gov/os/2006/05/

PerspectivesOnMarketingSelf-Regulation&ChildhoodObesityFTCandHHSReportonJointWorkshop.pdf. 

Recommendations that came out of the Workshop are listed at pages 48-54. See also Section IV of this 

Report.

9. This Report, in addition to providing the research requested by Congress, also serves as a report on the recommendations that resulted from the 2005 Workshop.

10. Press Release, Council of Better Business Bureaus, New Food, Beverage Initiative to Focus Kids’ Ads on 

Healthy Choices; Revised Guidelines Strengthen CARU’s Guidance to Food Advertisers (Nov. 14, 2006), 

available at www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=728. The estimate that the participating companies represent 

more than two-thirds of children’s food and beverage television advertising expenditures was made with reference to the initial ten program members. Three additional major companies subsequently subscribed to the 

Initiative.

11. IOM Study at 5-69 to 5-70.

12. Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Economics Staff Report, Children’s Exposure to TV Advertising in 

1977 and 2004: Information for the Obesity Debate ES-3-7 (2007) (FTC BE TV Study), available at

www.ftc.gov/os/2007/06/cabecolor.pdf.
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13. Request for Information and Comment: Food Industry Marketing Practices to Children and Adolescents, 71 

Fed. Reg. 10,535 (Mar. 1, 2006).

14. A copy of the FTC Special Order is attached as Appendix B.

15. As explained in Appendix A, in certain instances, the data obtained from the companies have been supplemented by data purchased from third-party sources.

16.	 Prepared foods and meals were defined in Attachment A to the Special Order to include frozen and chilled

entrees, frozen pizzas, canned soups and pasta, lunch kits, and non-frozen packaged entrees (such as macaroni and cheese).

17. Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 46(f), constrains the FTC from disclosing publicly materials that 

contain or constitute trade secrets or privileged or confidential commercial or financial information. See als

16 C.F.R. § 4.10(2).

18.	 As with the expenditure data, care has been taken to protect the confidentiality of this proprietary

information.

19. See Appendix A for a detailed discussion.

20.	 For example, a significant number of QSRs in the U.S. are independent franchisee-owned establishments,

rather than corporate-owned establishments. For most of the QSR companies that received the Special 

Order, franchisee- and affiliate-owned restaurants far outnumbered company-owned restaurants in the

U.S., with franchisees and affiliates representing approximately 70-85% of the establishments in the QSR

systems. In addition, QSRs vary in their management of advertising funds, in some cases participating in 

national and local cooperatives or programs to which corporate-owned and franchisee-owned establishments contribute funds. Franchisees also may contribute to separate advertising funds in individual local 

markets. Consequently, the reported expenditures generally do not account for local advertising expenditures 

by independently owned franchisees. The Commission is confident, however, that the reported expenditur

for QSRs provide an accurate estimation of advertising costs by corporate-owned restaurants and advertising 

expenditures by national cooperatives to which franchisees contribute funds.

21. 2006 Report at 10.

22.	 For several reasons, the total cost of marketing to youth reported here for 2006 is significantly lower than

some estimated numbers cited elsewhere, such as in the 2006 IOM Study on food marketing to children and 

youth. See IOM Study, supra note 3, at 4-32 to 4-33. The IOM Study estimated that more than $10 billi

is spent per year “to market food, beverage, and restaurant products to children and youth,” including about 

$1 billion to advertise directly to young consumers, primarily via television. Id. at 4-33  One source cite

for this estimate is James U. McNeal, The Kid’s Market: Myths and Realities 14-15, 141-44 (1999) (the 

other source relied upon in the IOM study for this total – Kelly D. Brownell & Katherine B. Horgen, Food 

Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America’s Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do About It 100 

(2004) – did not provide a citation for its estimate of $10 billion for food advertising to children). McNeal

estimates for the $10 billion figure encompass “annual marketing communications expenditures related to

kids as a market,” rather than marketing directed to youth specifically by members of the food and beverage industry. McNeal at 14-15. For example, McNeal’s estimate of $4.5 billion spent on promotions, re

upon by IOM, includes promotions for motels, airlines, and banks, as well as restaurants. See McNeal at 

15, 156-57. Moreover, McNeal’s promotions estimate includes couponing, price packs, cash refunds, and 

patronage rewards, whereas the Commission’s criteria for youth-directed food advertising excluded such promotions (e.g., children stay or eat free) because they are directed to adults. In another example, IOM cited 

McNeal’s $3 billion estimate for product packaging designed for children and youth. This figure, howeve

likely covered all packaging costs, including packaging materials such as cardboard and plastic. By contrast, the Commission’s Special Order requested only the costs of design and development of change-overs 

in youth-directed packaging, not baseline costs of manufacturing or packaging materials that would have 

existed regardless of whether the packaging featured youth-directed promotions. Notably, McNeal estimated 

that “media spending” (including television, print, radio, and Internet advertising; direct mail; product placements; movie theater advertising; and in-school advertising) for “advertising targeted at kids” totaled approx-
Endnotes

85

imately $1.3 billion annually – a number that is close to the Commission’s total of $1.6 billion. See McNea

at 142-44.

23. As discussed in Appendix A, some of the companies’ reportable expenditures could not readily be divided as 

directed only to children (ages 2-11) or to adolescents (ages 12-17). For example, some expenditures were 

targeted to a “tween” audience that included older children and younger teens (a group generally between the 

ages of 8 or 9 and 13 or 14). As a result, for each promotional activity category, companies were asked to 

state any amount that was duplicated in the reported child and teen expenditure amounts. In most cases, the 

total amount directed to “youth” (ages 2-17) is less than the sum of the child and teen totals because of overlap in the reported child and teen expenditures.

24.	 The Special Order defined digital advertising to include promotional content transmitted to personal computers and other digital devices, including PDAs (personal digital assistants), mobile phones, and other portable 

devices, whether or not Internet-enabled. The category included email messages, SMS or text messages, 

instant messaging, mobile broadcasts, downloads, and podcasts.

25. Youth-directed marketing expenditures for particular brands within several food categories well exceeded 

40.8%.

26. When a company had reportable child- or teen-directed marketing expenditures in a given promotional category for a particular brand, the company also reported expenditures directed to all audiences in the promotional category for that brand. For example, if a company reported spending $10 million on child-direct

television ads for a brand, it also reported the total amount spent on all television ads for that brand (e.g., $25

million). The companies were not required, however, to report general audience expenditures for any promotional activity category in which they had no child- or teen-directed expenditures for a particular brand. As 

a result, the percentages of youth-directed marketing expenditures within the promotional activity categories 

are based only on the brands for which the companies reported youth-directed advertising in those particular 

promotional categories. In a few instances, reporting companies stated they were unable to calculate allaudience expenditures. In those instances, the totals were under-reported and therefore the percentage of 

expenditures directed to youth may be slightly too high.

27. When reporting television, radio, and print advertising expenditures, the Special Order instructed companies 

to report the creative costs associated with production of the advertising, as well as all ad placement costs.

28.	 The companies reported about $89 million in overlapping expenditures for child- and teen-directed television

advertising.

29. In 2006, no broadcast television programs met the 20% teen audience share threshold for advertising directed 

to adolescents. Source: The Nielsen Company.

30.	 Source: The Nielsen Company. These figures are based on audience data for airings that occurred on

Nickelodeon cable channel only.

31. Market research submitted by a few companies examined the appeal of some of these shows to youth 

audiences.

32. In 2007 and 2008, McDonald’s ran American Idol cross-promotions. Children who purchased a Happy Meal 

or a Mighty Kids Meal could collect a variety of toys inspired by American Idol and, in 2007, enter a sweepstakes to attend the season finale of American Idol. Press Release, McDonald’s USA, McDonald’s Debuts 

American Idol-Inspired Toys in Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals (Apr. 18, 2007), available at

www.mcdonalds.com/usa/news/current/conpr_04182007.html.

33. Kellogg’s sponsors the Pop-Tarts American Idol Live! tour as a way to reach tweens and teens. Tim Parry, 

American Pop Idol, PROMO Mag., May 1, 2004, available at http://promomagazine.com/awards/emmas/

marketing_american_pop_idol/ (quoting official from the brand communication firm that facilitated PopTarts’ sponsorship of the American Idol tour as “resulting in the partnering of two brands that are relevant 

to teens and tweens heightening the connectivity of their collective message”; noting that, through the tour, 
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the product reached more than 30 million teens, sales of Pop-Tarts increased 26.2%, and 60% of teens and 

tweens who were aware of the brand tie-in with American Idol said they felt better about Pop-Tarts).

34. Radio Disney appears to be the only commercial radio station directed at children. Of course, another criterion in the Special Order for reporting child-directed radio expenditures was whether a marketing plan specifically indicated that the radio advertising was intended to reach children under age 12.

35.	 Word-of-mouth marketing occurs when companies provide financial or product incentives to non-employees

to encourage them to promote a food product or brand to other consumers.

36. Company-sponsored digital promotional messages that consumers can interact with and pass along to others 

is considered viral marketing. This includes content developed for video, audio, or image file-sharing websites, company-sponsored blogs or social networking profiles, and other content posted on the Internet that 

intended to be sent from one consumer to another, such as “send-to-a-friend” emails.

37. The word-of-mouth and viral expenditures are under-reported because many companies stated that they were 

unable to segregate viral marketing activities from their website expenditures. An example is the common 

and popular “send-to-a-friend” feature used on child- and teen-directed websites. Companies reported the 

costs associated with “send-to-a-friend” features as part of their website expenditures.

38. When reporting website expenditures, many companies noted that the company-sponsored websites existed 

prior to 2006 and, thus, the only costs consisted of the design and development changes to the website, if any, 

in 2006.

39. Advergames are interactive online games on food company websites that incorporate a food or beverage 

product into the game content.

40. As noted above, the companies reported most viral marketing expenditures (such as their “send-to-a-friend” 

features) as expenditures for their company-sponsored websites. As a result, the majority of the expenditures 

reported in this category represents word-of-mouth marketing. Interestingly, 100% of the viral marketing 

reported was directed to youth.

41.	 The carbonated and non-carbonated beverage categories reported a total of $96,000 in child-directed wordof-mouth expenditures, but this amount was almost 100% duplicative of the larger amounts that these categories reported as teen-directed expenditures.

42. When reporting packaging expenditures, companies were required to report only those costs associated with 

the design and development of changes in product packaging, but were not required to report manufacturing costs or the cost of packaging materials. For in-store advertising and promotions, companies were told 

to report the costs associated with all displays and promotions at the retail site, including the offering of 

free samples and allowances paid to facilitate shelf placement or merchandise displays. Many companies 

explained that their promotional funds paid to retailers are not targeted to a specific age group. Some companies, however, did report expenditures for specific promotional displays, in locations such as the end of

supermarket aisle, that used thematic content appealing to children or adolescents.

43. Child-directed packaging and in-store expenditures for snacks equaled 21% of the companies’ total expenditures on packaging and in-store marketing for the reported snack brands; the proportion for restaurant food 

was 24%, for candy/frozen desserts was 30%, for prepared foods was 40%, and for breakfast cereals was 

65% of the total packaging and in-store expenditures for the reported brands.

44. See Section III.C for a discussion of the market research submitted by the companies regarding the importance of premiums in youth-directed marketing.

45. These chains were: McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Chuck E. Cheese (a dine-in restaurant), Pizza 

Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, Long John Silver, Wingstreet, and A&W Restaurants. The Select QSRs accounted for 

nearly three-quarters (73.6%) of all kids’ meals with toys sold to children ages 12 and under during 2006. 

Source: The NPD Group/CREST.
Endnotes

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46. See Julian E. Barnes, Fast-Food Giveaway Toys Face Rising Recalls, N.Y. Times, Aug. 16, 2001, at A1 

(“Estimates vary as to how much the fast-food companies spend to manufacture the toys ... but food and 

toy executives estimate the toys cost 30 to 50 cents each.”); McDonald’s Rests. of Mass., Inc. v. Comm’r of 

Revenue, No. C262528, 2005 WL941510, at *2 (Mass. App. Tax. Bd. 2005) (each Happy Meal toy distributed by Massachusetts franchisees in December 1997 and November 1999 had a cost of 43 cents); In re E-M 

Food Corp T/A McDonald’s Rest., Nos. 809808, 809809, 809810, and 809811, 1993 WL 98470, at ¶ 10 (NY 

Div. Tax. App. 1993) (noting that cost of Happy Meal toys to Long Island franchisees ranged between 40 and 

49 cents per unit).

47. The amount reported by carbonated beverages for movie theater, video, and video game advertising, however, is likely under-reported. Movie theater chains often have discretion in selecting the films before whi

they place food advertising. As a result, some companies reported that they did not have data on the ratings 

of movies preceded by ads for their products; thus, they could not accurately allocate expenditures for ads in 

movie theaters that might have met the Special Order criteria for child- or teen-directed advertising.

48. This category included sponsorship of amateur and professional athletes, teams, and leagues, including youth 

teams or leagues.

49. The two categories of athletic sponsorships and celebrity endorsements were combined for purposes of analysis because a few companies reported fees paid to an athlete endorser as an athletic sponsorship rather than as 

a celebrity fee.

50. Events included sporting events, concerts, activities at theme parks and shopping malls, and company promotional tours. Some companies purchased billboard and scoreboard advertising and naming rights in arenas 

and other large venues that hosted both adult and youth-directed events; in those cases, companies calculated 

the percentage of the advertising costs that could be attributed to the child and teen events.

51. Some beverage bottlers objected to the criteria for in-school marketing, which included advertising on or 

around vending machines, as well as payments – whether in the form of vending commissions, sponsorship 

fees, or equipment donations – made pursuant to food and beverage contracts with schools or school systems. 

Companies asserted that vending machines are not a device for advertising, but simply a means of delivering and dispensing products. In addition, they stated that payments to schools often are used for the schools’ 

own internal purposes, for which the company may receive no true advertising value. Given the broad focus 

of advertising and marketing activities addressed in this study, however, as well as the fact that vending in 

schools is clearly directed to children and adolescents, the Commission determined that, for purposes of 

this report, it was appropriate to include advertising on or around school vending machines as a marketing 

activity.

52. In general, QSR expenditure data covered national advertising expenditures by company-owned and franchisee-owned establishments, and local expenditures by company-owned establishments. In addition, two of 

the reporting companies estimated local advertising expenditures by company-owned and franchisee-owned 

restaurants.

53. See supra Section II.C.4.B.

54.	 Some companies claimed difficulty in compiling expenditure data for the implementation of the celebrity

endorsement (e.g., data on television advertising, packaging, and sweepstakes featuring the endorser). Thus, 

it is likely that the costs associated with celebrity endorsements were under-reported. For example, carbonated and non-carbonated beverage companies reported $3.7 million in endorsement fees, but did not report

the costs associated with implementation of the endorsements. As a result, the $3.7 million in endorseme

fees under-reports use of celebrity endorsements in these food categories.

55. Many companies reported that their advertising directed to children under 12 adheres to self-regulatory 

guidelines administered by the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), a division of the Council of 

Better Business Bureaus. These standards aim to ensure that children’s advertising is not deceptive, unfair, 

or inappropriate for its intended audience, and take into account children’s particular vulnerabilities, such as 

their inexperience, immaturity, susceptibility to being misled or unduly influenced, and their lack of cognitive

skills needed to evaluate the credibility of advertising. Children’s Advertising Review Unit, Self-Regulatory 
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Program for Children’s Advertising (amended 2006), available at www.caru.org/guidelines/guidelines.pdf. 

The program requires, among other things, that advertising to children include no misleading claims; not disparage healthy lifestyles or depict excessive consumption; provide a clear distinction between advertising and 

editorial content; and contain no sales pressure, including urging children to ask parents to buy a product. Id.

56. Examples of toys subject to cross-promotional arrangements with food products include: Bratz and G.I. Joe 

dolls (advertised and distributed with QSR children’s meals); Hot Wheels toy cars (advertised with cereal, 

fruit snacks, and QSR children’s meals); Tonka toy trucks (advertised with fruit snacks); Bionicle building 

toys (advertised with QSR children’s meals); the Build-a-Bear Workshop (advertised with QSR children’s 

meals); Ty Beanie Baby dolls (advertised with candy); and Barbie doll merchandise and DVDs (advertised 

with toaster pastries and QSR children’s meals).

57. One company developed a Neopets-branded breakfast cereal, sold with Neopets trading cards, which promoted an interactive, virtual pet website popular with children. Another product’s packaging directed children to Wal-Mart’s Toyland website for the “hottest toys.”

58. For example, packaging for QSR children’s meals, candy, carbonated beverages, and breakfast cereal promoted the Six Flags Amusement Parks, Wannado City theme park, SeaWorld, and Busch Gardens, while 

packaging for candy, non-carbonated beverages, and macaroni and cheese promoted Chuck E. Cheese. 

Sometimes, these messages appeared to be directed to adults with children, or to an audience that included 

both adolescents and adults in their 20s.

59. Companies promoted Nintendo Wii and Xbox game consoles on product packaging for breakfast cereals, 

snack chips, toaster pastries, and fruit snacks, in some cases advertising a sweepstakes to win a new console. 

Other promotions featured individual video games, such as a QSR promotion for Dance Dance Revolution, 

which was featured on the company website, in-store displays, and toy premiums sold with the food.

60. Various food products promoted Major League Soccer, the National Football League, the U.S. Figure Skating 

Association, the Harlem Globetrotters, U.S. Youth Soccer, Little League Baseball, the American Youth 

Soccer Organization, and Youth Basketball of America on their packaging.

61. Company websites often featured details and rules of entry for promotion-related sweepstakes and contests.

62.	 Although the target companies were required to report only cross-promotions with films rated G as targeted

to children, and with films rated PG as targeted to adolescents, a number of companies reported that their

cross-promotions with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest met the Special Order’s other criteria for 

child and teen-directed marketing.

63. Companies that reported selling branded merchandise or licensing branded merchandise in 2006 included 

marketers of candy, cereals, snack cakes, snack meats, QSR children’s meals, and carbonated beverages.

64. Other branded merchandise intended for use by children and adolescents includes: T-shirts, hats, bags, belts, 

watches, wallets, flip flops, plush toys, backpacks, lunch boxes, stickers, journals, stationery, pencils and

pens, jewelry, key rings, snow globes, iPod covers, cell phone charms, lip balm, sippy cups, candy dispensers, pillows, blankets, nightlights, alarm clocks, toy bake sets and grocery food sets, and Christmas stockings.

65. On the website of one dairy organization, a game allowed players to help a baby search for milk in a room 

and then drink it. The website for a canned soup brand had a game that required players to “keep the slurp 

factory running by slurping up bowls” of the canned soup product.

66. While open to all ages, the contest was open to children under 13 only with parental consent and the game 

featured images of players who appeared to be teens.

67. In 2006, one candy company sent to its opted-in database of children and teens a series of email newsletters, 

which advertised new product varieties, sweepstakes, events and games, a summer tour of its branded candy 

van, and quizzed children on their favorite activities. On Valentine’s Day, the newsletter featured e-cards and 

text messages children could send to friends.
Endnotes

89

68. One of the companies had a policy of not asking children under age 12 to watch online webisodes in order to 

collect points or rewards.

69.	 One canned soup company allowed its website visitors to create a personality profile based on their favorite soup flavor and send the profile to others via AOL or Yahoo instant messenger. A snack cracker websi

offered a chance to find out your dinosaur name and send it to a friend.

70. For example, The Guardian reported in July 2007 that a candy company paid a six-figure sum to set up

a profile on social networking site Bebo; in the course of one month, the profile had been viewed more

than 50,000 times and had collected more than 3,500 “friends,” whom a Bebo representative described as 

“brand ambassadors.” Helen Pidd, Food Manufacturers Target Children on Internet After Regulator’s TV 

Advertising Clampdown, The Guardian, July 31, 2007, at 5.

71. The contest was open only to persons between the ages of 6 and 15.

72. A few contests required a creative submission, such as a drawing, decoration, story, song, or video about why 

entrants like the product, or an essay about an historical topic. One fruit and vegetable company ran a sweepstakes for bikes, scholarships, and computers that required completion of an online learning module about 

nutrition and health.

73. These television programs did not necessarily meet the Special Order’s criteria with respect to the percentage 

of adolescent audience share, but met other criteria specified in the Special Order for advertising directed to

adolescents.

74. The Commission is distinguishing advertising in third-party video games from use of “advergames,” which 

the Commission has defined as interactive games on food company websites that incorporate food or beverage products into the game content. See supra note 39.

75. See Ross Fadner, Marketers Step Up Their Game, OMMA Mag., June 2006; Ryan Kim, Video Game Ads 

No Longer Child’s Play: Product Placement Expected to Be Crucial as Online Competition Has More 

Timeliness, S.F. Chron., June 12, 2006, at C-1; Beth Snyder Bulik, Ad Dollars Flow Into Online Games, 

Advertising Age, Mar. 26, 2007, at 10.

76.	 Kaboom! is a national non-profit organization that builds playgrounds across the U.S. and envisions each

child in America having a great place to play within walking distance.

77. One packaged food company’s policy prohibited marketing directly to students in grades K through 12 in 

schools or to school groups, but permitted products to be sold in schools. Another packaged food company 

had a policy not to engage in any in-school advertising (such as print or broadcast ads, contests, posters, or 

book covers), but allowed product sales in schools. One snack chip maker had a policy of avoiding directly 

marketing or selling in schools. A candy company that licensed and sold non-food promotional merchandise 

had a policy that such items would not encourage food or drink consumption and would not be specifically

designed for use in schools; the company’s policy also prohibited branded educational materials for use in 

schools by children under 12, all sales of products in primary schools, and sponsorship of sports in primary 

schools. Another candy company’s policy prohibited the licensing of its brands for use on educational materials or material intended for use primarily in elementary or secondary schools.

78. The majority of the beverage company activities took place in middle, junior high, and high schools, with the 

expenditures reported as targeted to adolescents. (Middle and junior high schools may include children under 

12, as well as 12 and older. Because such expenditures could not easily be divided between the two groups, 

companies were instructed to include all of them in the adolescent category.)

79. See supra note 51.

80. During the summer months, one QSR offered the reading program through public libraries. Other QSRs 

reported that their local co-ops might have participated in such programs, although the company did not do 

so at the national level. (Such expenditures and activities by local franchisees are not covered in this report.)
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81. The information described in this section was derived from market research related to children and adolescents that was submitted by the 44 companies. The results are described in a general way because they show 

the parameters of this kind of research and illustrate some important findings. The Commission has made 

effort to assess the competence and reliability of this research.

82. According to one company’s research, television is still the strongest source of ad awareness for all brands.

83. Typically, such research focused on teenagers and young adults in their early twenties, and audience reactions 

were measured separately by gender and race or ethnic identity.

84. Research submitted by one company found that licensed characters are particularly appealing to children 

from pre-school age to eight or nine years-old, at which point children will request fewer foods based solely 

on the licensed character.

85. The frequency of exposure to the promotional message connecting the brand to the contest is paramount in 

increasing brand awareness.

86. One company’s survey indicated that boys tend to prefer electronic devices, while girls tend to prefer trips. 

Some research showed that children prefer cash to merchandise. Older children are aware of the low probability of winning a sweepstakes, but are nonetheless intrigued by grand prizes.

87. A few companies noted, however, their participation in programs that serve low-income populations, such 

as state WIC programs that provide supplemental food and nutrition education to low-income pregnant and 

postpartum women, infants, and young children.

88. 2006 Report at 54.

89. See generally id. at 11-20, 22-23.

90. Id. at 20-21. Prior to 2006, fewer than half of the companies that responded to the Special Order for this 

Report had any policies in place pertaining to food advertising and promotional activities targeted to children 

or adolescents. In some cases, this appears to be because the companies did not, as a general practice, direct 

their marketing activities toward children and teens.

	 The policies that were in place ranged from specific guidelines regarding ad placement and content – such

as prohibiting advertising directed to children under 6 or 8, or limiting the types of products that could be 

advertised to children to products meeting certain nutrient criteria – to general commitments to follow selfregulatory advertising principles. For example, a number of companies indicated that they participated in 

the self-regulatory program administered by the CARU and adhered to CARU’s guidelines for advertising to 

children. A few companies also stated that they “pre-screened” some of their advertisements – including television and website ads – through CARU prior to disseminating them.

Some companies also had their own guidelines for the content of child-directed ads, which required, for 

example, that such ads accurately portray serving sizes, not encourage the “nag” or “pester” factor, always 

portray children under 12 in the presence of a caregiver, and not undermine parental authority, among other 

things.

91. These recommendations are set forth on pages 48-54 of the 2006 Report. See supra note 8.

92. 2006 Report at 53.

93. Many of these developments were discussed at the July 18, 2007 Forum on Marketing, Self-Regulation & 

Childhood Obesity, hosted by the FTC and HHS (2007 Forum). The agenda and transcript of proceedings 

(2007 Forum Transcript) are available at www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/childobesity/index.shtml.

94. See Council of Better Business Bureaus, About the Initiative, http://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/SitePage.

aspx?site=113&id=b712b7a7-fcd5-479c-af49-8649107a4b02 (last visited July 10, 2008).
Endnotes

91

95. See Council of Better Business Bureaus, Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, 

http://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/SitePage.aspx?site=113&id=dba51fbb-9317-4f88-9bcb-3942d7336e87 (last 

visited July 14, 2008).

96. The FTC did not survey Cadbury Adams because gum was excluded from the food product varieties covered 

by the Report.

97. Individual company pledges are available at Council of Better Business Bureaus, Company Pledges, 

http://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/SitePage.aspx?site=113&id=9a35a6f9-6768-4ad6-8b1d-9bb1039da8cd (last 

visited July 10, 2008). Approval of the first 11 pledges was announced in July 2007. See Press Relea

Council of Better Business Bureaus, Better Business Bureau Announces Food and Beverage Advertising 

Commitments from 11 Industry Leaders, July 18, 2007, available at http://bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=779.

98. Even before joining the Initiative, Kraft had announced, in 2005, that it would only advertise products meeting its Sensible Solutions criteria to children aged 6-11, and it already had a policy of not directing advertising to children under 6. See 2007 Forum Transcript at 50-51.

99. Advertisements containing healthy lifestyle messages are approved by Initiative staff.

100. See Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative: Initiative Program Document 1 (Initiative Program 

Document), http://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/storage/16/documents/InitiativeProgramDocument.pdf

(last visited July 9, 2008).

101. The Commission notes that although the Initiative requires participants to “reduce” their use of licensed characters in advertising directed to children, most participants have pledged to use such characters only in childdirected advertising that promotes healthy dietary choices. See Appendix E.

102. The product packaging exception applies so long as the packaging does not appear in advertising directed to 

children. See id. at 2 n.3.

103. See id. at 2. Some companies have voluntarily extended their commitments, such as by pledging not 

to “approve” such placements unless the product meets nutrition criteria, or not to actively seek unpaid 

placement.

104.	 The Initiative’s core principles require that the standards be “consistent with established scientific and/or

governmental standards.” Id. at 1. The companies’ pledges indicate that their criteria are derived from various sources, including Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards for “healthy,” “low,” and “reduced,” 

HHS/USDA 2005 dietary guidelines for overall limits on fats, sodium, and sugar, and input from nutritional 

consultants engaged by the individual companies, among others. See generally company pledges, supra

note 97.

105. One CBBB Initiative participant has voluntarily extended its third-party licensed character commitment to 

cover the use of “front panels” on product packaging in child-directed marketing.

106. See, e.g., Mike Hughlett, Food-for-Grades Prize Criticized; Complaint Prompts McDonald’s Inquiry, Chi. 

Trib., Dec. 7, 2007, at C-3 (local McDonald’s franchisees in Florida offered free Happy Meal to students who 

achieved certain grades; offer was promoted on report card envelopes). These activities are not necessarily 

controlled by the corporate entity, and, indeed, at least one pledge specifically notes that it does not apply to

local activities undertaken by independent franchises.

107. Some companies have offered “better for you” products for years. One company noted that it has marketed 

a line of such products for 20 years (including frozen entrees, soups, and others), and that the products meet 

applicable FDA and USDA standards for “healthy” claims. Similarly, cereal manufacturers have long fortified some of their products with certain vitamins and minerals (either voluntarily or pursuant to regulatory

requirements) and more recently have developed whole grain versions of these products.

108. This is particularly important considering the apparent appeal that “better for you” foods have for consumers. 

Recent press articles indicate that major food companies have seen significantly more growth in sales of their
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

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“better for you” products, as compared to their “traditional” products. See, e.g., David Jones, Food Makers 

Look to Health as Downturn Defense, Reuters, Mar. 20, 2008.

109. This labeling is different from the FDA-mandated “Nutrition Facts” panel, which appears on most food and 

beverage product labels and which provides consumers with specific nutritional information per serving of

the product, such as total calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium, as well as certain vitamins, minerals, and 

other nutrients. FDA currently is considering whether to amend some regulations relating to the Nutrition 

Facts panel to give more prominence to the disclosure of calories; to revise its approach to serving size; to 

add or delete certain nutrients from the panel; and to modify its calculation of the percent daily value. See

Food Labeling; Prominence of Calories, 70 Fed. Reg. 17,008 (proposed Apr. 4, 2005) (to be codified at 21

C.F.R. pt. 101); Food Labeling: Serving Sizes of Products That Can Reasonably Be Consumed At One 

Eating Occasion; Updating of Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed; Approaches for Recommending 

Smaller Portion Sizes, 70 Fed. Reg. 17,010 (proposed Apr. 4, 2005) (to be codified at 21 C.F.R. pt. 101);

Food Labeling: Revision of Reference Values and Mandatory Nutrients, 72 Fed. Reg. 62,149 

(proposed Nov. 2, 2007) (to be codified at 21 C.F.R. pt. 101).

110. One other company uses a “Pediatrician Recommended” logo on a juice product. The product contains 

100% juice, diluted with water, which contains less sugar than undiluted juice, plus 100% vitamin C and no 

artificial sweeteners. The logo apparently is not used on any other products the company market

111. PepsiCo launched its Smart Spot program in 2004, Kraft introduced the Sensible Solutions labeling program 

in early 2005, and McKee introduced its Snack Smart icon in July 2005. Unilever’s Eat Smart / Drink Smart 

logo system appears to have been in place at least as of 2006.

112. For example, PepsiCo claims that its icon is “the symbol of smart choices made easy,” providing “a quick 

way to be sure that the products you’re choosing are contributing to a healthier lifestyle.” See PepsiCo, The 

Smart Spot, www.smartspot.com/about (last visited July 10, 2008).

113. See id.

114. For example, the product may contain 10% or more of the Daily Value of Vitamin A, C, or E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, protein or fiber, or may comprise at least a half-serving of fruit or vegetable. 

“functional benefit” may include heart health. See Kraft Foods, Sensible Solution Nutrition Criteria

http://kraftfoods.com/kf/HealthyLiving/SensibleSolution/NutritionCriteria.htm#generalcriteria (last visited 

July 10, 2008).

115. See id.

116.	 Specific nutrient limits and other requirements vary by food products category, such as beverage, food, or

snack. These specifics are set forth at PepsiCo, The Smart Spot, www.smartspot.com/about (last visited Jul

10, 2008).

117. See 2007 Forum Transcript at 50-51 (presentation by Lance Friedmann, Kraft Foods).

118. See also Jones, supra note 108 (reporting growth in sales of “better for you” products among several major 

companies).

119. See American Heart Association, What Certification Means, www.americanheart.org/presenter.

jhtml?identifier=4973 (last visited July 10, 2008). In addition, effective January 1, 2008, new products must 

contain less than 0.5 grams trans fat per serving. Id.

120. This logo was developed in connection with the Fruit & Veggies – More Matters health initiative administered by the Produce for Better Health Foundation. All fresh fruits and vegetables qualify for this seal, as do 

canned fruits in water and certain processed fruits and vegetables meeting specified criteria. See Produce fo

Better Health Foundation, Products Promotable, www.pbhfoundation.org/retail/nutritionmktg/prodpromo.php

for details (last visited July 10, 2008).

121. See The Whole Grains Council, Whole Grain Stamp, www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grain-stamp

(last visited July 10, 2008).
Endnotes

93

122. This labeling currently appears on all packages of Big G ready-to-eat cereals, and will appear on all cereals 

by December 2008. See 2007 Forum Transcript at 70. Previously, the company used a different labeling system called the “Goodness Corner.”

123. Kellogg’s previously has used a “Best to You” banner in the top right corner of its cereals to convey nutrition information such as “good source of fiber” or “low fat” but is replacing that banner with “Nutrition at a

Glance” on ready-to-eat cereals.

124. For example, an icon might indicate “25% of daily grains” or “30% of daily vegetables.” The labeling will 

appear only on products containing a meaningful amount of at least one key food group. See Chris Jones, 

ConAgra Launches ‘Easier’ Version of MyPyramid Nutrition Labeling Scheme, Food Navigator.com USA, 

Feb. 21, 2008, www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=83446 (last visited July 10, 2008). ConAgra 

has stated that the labels will appear on more than 700 different products. See id.

125. One company that uses nutrition information labeling has expressed the concern that consumers may interpret “better for you” icons as license to eat all they want of that product, and that some of the products bearing such icons may, in fact, have little nutritional benefit. See 2007 Forum Transcript at 69-70 (presentatio

by Christina L. Shea, General Mills).

126. The company does make nutrition information about its products available in others ways that consumers can 

access before purchase, including in stores, and online in the form of icons and bar charts, although not on its 

menu boards.

127. Five categories are excepted: bottled water, alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, and spices. See Hannaford, 

What is Guiding Stars?, www.hannaford.com/Contents/Healthy_Living/Guiding_Stars/index.shtml (last 

visited July 10, 2008). The stars earned by a product (if any) are displayed on the shelves with the product’s 

price information. See Anne Underwood, Three-Star Snacks in Aisle Five, Newsweek, Nov. 12, 2007, at 20.

128.	 The specific criteria are not publicly available but are based on USDA’s nutrient database and guidelines. S

Hannaford, FAQs, www.hannaford.com/Contents/Healthy_Living/Guiding_Stars/faqs.shtml (last visited July 

10, 2008); Chain Uses Stars to Rate Food for Nutrition, Associated Press, Sept. 7, 2006, available at

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14715344/.

129. See Matthew Shulman, Nutritional Labeling Gets More Sophisticated; Supermarkets Are Deploying New 

Nutrition-Rating Systems to Help Shoppers Decide What Goes in the Cart, U.S. News & World Rep., Mar. 

14, 2008, available at http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2008/03/14/nutritional-labeling-gets-more-sophisticated.html.

130. See id.

131. Research conducted by some companies suggests that package claims highlighting the nutritional attributes 

of the product – such as “100 calories,” “whole grain cereals,” and “zero grams trans fats” – are more effective with adults than teenagers. In a similar vein, research by one beverage company suggested that diet soft 

drinks are not popular with teenagers, in part because diet sodas are associated with dieting.

132. Competitive foods are items offered for sale in schools outside of the School (Reimbursable) Meal Program 

or entrees sold as part of the a la carte program. Examples include snacks, desserts, and side items available 

in vending machines, a la carte lines, school stores, and through fundraisers. See Alliance for a Healthier 

Generation, School Snack Foods, www.healthiergeneration.org/companies.aspx?id=1546&ekmensel=1ef024

51_40_118_btnlink (last visited July 10, 2008).

133. The Committee recommended generally that any foods made available “should consist of nutritious fruits, 

vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat or low-fat milk and dairy products, consistent with the 2005 Dietary 

Guidelines for Americans. . . .” Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Report Brief: Nutrition 

Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth 1-2 (2007). The standards for 

foods include limitations on total calories, calories from fat, calories from saturated fat, trans fat, calories 

from sugar, and sodium. Beverages would be limited to plain water (without flavoring, additives, or carbo
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

94

ation), low-fat and nonfat milk (including soy beverages) and 100% fruit-juice, with some non-caffeinated, 

low-calorie beverages available to high school students after school. See id.

134. Several of these companies – The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Inc., Campbell Soup Company, Kraft 

Foods Global, Inc., and Mars, Inc. – later joined the CBBB’s Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising 

Initiative, pledging, among other things, not to advertise their food and beverage products in elementary 

schools.

135. The Alliance is a partnership of the American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation. Its 

goal is to stop the increase of prevalence of childhood obesity by 2010, and reverse the trend by 2015. See

Alliance for a Healthier Generation, About the Alliance, www.healthiergeneration.org/about.aspx (last visited 

July 10, 2008).

136. See Alliance for a Healthier Generation, School Beverage Guidelines, www.healthiergeneration.org/beverages/ (last visited July 9, 2008).

137. See id. In high schools, at least 50% of the non-milk beverage options must be water and no- or low-calorie 

options. See id.

138. See Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Competitive Foods Guidelines for K-12 Schools, www.healthiergeneration.org/uploadedFiles/For_Schools/snack-food-guidelines-chart-K-12.pdf (last visited July 10, 2008); see 

also Appendix F.

One food company surveyed for this Report has also established its own nutrition guidelines for products 

appropriate for sale in school vending machines, which go slightly beyond the Alliance Guidelines to require 

the inclusion, where practical, of fiber, whole grains, fruits, dairy, and vegetables.

139. See Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Competitive Foods Guidelines for K-12 Schools, supra note 138.

140. See Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Memorandum of Understanding Regarding a New School 

Beverage Policy (Beverage MOU), May 3, 2006, available at www.healthiergeneration.org/uploadedFiles/

For_Schools/School_Beverage_Guidelines/Beverage%20MOU.pdf; Alliance for a Healthier Generation, 

Dairy Associations Memorandum of Understanding, 2007, available at www.healthiergeneration.org/uploadedFiles/For_Schools/School_Beverage_Guidelines/FINAL%20milk%20MOU%20-%20associations.pdf; 

Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Dairy Processors Memorandum of Understanding, 2007, available at

www.healthiergeneration.org/uploadedFiles/For_Schools/School_Beverage_Guidelines/FINAL%20milk%20

MOU%20-%20associations.pdf.

141. See Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Memorandum of Understanding Regarding New Guidelines for 

Competitive Foods Sold in Schools to Students (Snack Foods MOU), Oct. 6, 2006, available at 

www.healthiergeneration.org/uploadedFiles/For_Schools/MOU-snack-food.pdf. Other signatories include: 

The Bachman Company, Barrel O’Fun, Blue Bunny, Bouquet of Fruits, Dale & Thomas Popcorn, Have your 

cake and eat it too!, Kind Cakes, McCain Foods USA, and Nadja Foods.

142. These companies are: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Campbell, Dole, Kraft, Masterfoods/Mars, The Milk Processor 

Education Program, and Stemilt Growers.

143. The CBBB Initiative participants are: Campbell, Coca-Cola, Kraft, Masterfoods/Mars, and PepsiCo. As part 

of their CBBB pledges, all of these companies have agreed not to advertise in elementary schools. Three of 

these companies – Campbell, Kraft, and Masterfoods/Mars – have adopted nutritional standards for advertising to children under 12 that are fairly comparable to the Alliance standards applicable to beverages and 

snacks that may be sold in elementary schools. (Masterfoods/Mars does not currently direct advertising 

for its products to children.) PepsiCo’s CBBB pledge appears to allow the company to advertise a wider 

range of beverages and snacks to children than the company can sell in schools. Indeed, PepsiCo’s CBBB 

pledge specifically states that it advertises Gatorade Thirst Quencher – a “Smart Spot” product – to children,

although this product cannot be sold in elementary schools under the Alliance Guidelines. Coca-Cola has no 

nutritional standards for advertising to children under 12 because it has pledged not to advertise its products 

in media primarily directed to, and having an audience of 50% or more, children under 12.
Endnotes

95

144. See Beverage MOU, supra note 140, at 2; Snack Foods MOU, supra note 141, at 2.

145. American Beverage Association, School Beverage Guidelines Progress Report 2006-2007 2-3 (2007), available at www.schoolbeverages.com/download.aspx?id=97. As part of their commitment, the beverage companies pledged “to make diligent efforts” to work with their bottlers to ensure that contracts executed after May 

2006 include only Guidelines-compliant beverages. See Beverage MOU, supra note 140, at 2; Alliance for a 

Healthier Generation, Working with the Beverage Industry, www.healthiergeneration.org/companies.aspx?id

=1544&ekmensel=1ef02451_40_116_1544_2 (last visited July 10, 2008).

146. See Am. Beverage Ass’n, supra note 145, at ii, iv.

147. See id. at 1; Tim Smith, Bill to Ban Junk Food in Schools Trashed, Greenville News, Apr. 9, 2008, at 1A; 

Kendra Marr, Smarts About Snacks: Pitch for More Healthful Fare Proves a Tough Sell to Schools, Wash. 

Post, May 19, 2008, at D1.

148. See Am. Beverage Ass’n, supra note 145, at iv. Included in this figure are school contracts that predated t

Alliance Guidelines but which bottlers and schools worked to bring into compliance prior to the contracts’ 

expiration. Id.

149. See id. at i. During that same time period, the amount of full-calorie drinks shipped to schools decreased 

45%, and shipments of water increased 23%. See id.

150. See Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Statement of Support for American Beverage Association School 

Beverage Guidelines Progress Report (Sept. 17, 2007), available at www.healthiergeneration.org/uploadedFiles/For_Media/Alliance%20Statement-ABA.pdf.

151. The “35-10-35” standard requires that the food have no more than 35% total calories from fat, 10% calories 

from saturated fat, and 35% sugar by weight. See, e.g., Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Competitive 

Foods Guidelines for K-12 Schools, supra note 138.

152. 2006 Report at 52.

153. Id. at 53.

154. Id. at 53-54.

155. See Fruits & Veggies More Matters, www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/ (last visited July 10, 2008) (formerly “5-A-Day” Program, www.5aday.org).

156. See 3-A-Day, www.3aday.org (last visited July 10, 2008).

157. See Sesame Workshop, Healthy Habits for Life, www.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits (last visited

July 10, 2008).

158. See YMCA, Activate America, www.ymca.net/activateamerica (last visited July 10, 2008).

159. See Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Triple Play: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul, www.bgca.org/

programs/tripleplay.asp (last visited July 10, 2008).

160. See Kidnetic.com, www.kidnetic.com (last visited July 10, 2008).

161. See America on the Move: Steps to a Healthier Way of Life, www.americaonthemove.org (last visited

July 10, 2008).

162. See Shaping America’s Youth, www.shapingamericasyouth.org (last visited July 10, 2008).

163. See News Release, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA Recognizes Corporations to Promote 

Nutrition and Fight Obesity (June 10, 2008), available at www.mypyramid.gov/challenge/downloads/

Press%20Release.pdf.

164. See The President’s Challenge, www.presidentschallenge.com (last visited July 14, 2008).
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165. 2007 Forum Transcript at 56 (noting Kraft’s Salsa, Sabor y Salud initiative).

166. Id. at 67, 158-163 (describing Healthy BET initiative, a partnership between General Mills and the BET 

Foundation).

167. Id. at 68 (describing General Mills’s grant program).

168. 2006 Report at 52.

169. See 2007 Forum Transcript at 8-9, 74-75. Disney’s policy contains an exception for “special occasion 

sweets” that allows it, for example, to license characters for use on children’s birthday cakes. Id. at 77.

	 Disney also has taken steps to improve the health profile of foods it offers in its theme parks, including by

eliminating the use of trans fats and by offering fruits and vegetables, and milk, water, and 100% juice, 

as “default” items in its kids’ meals rather than French fries and soft drinks, which remain available upon 

request. Disney has stated that “the overwhelming majority” of park guests are selecting the “healthy” 

options. Id. at 77-78.

170. See id. at 91-93; see also Dr. Jennifer Kotler, Assistant Vice President of Domestic Research, Sesame 

Workshop, Healthy Habits for Life Presentation at the 2007 Forum (July 18, 2007), at 3-5, available at

www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/childobesity/presentations/kotler.pdfl; Press Release, Sesame Workshop, 

Del Monte Foods Announces Partnership with Sesame Workshop; What is Red and Blue and Encourages 

Children to Eat Their Greens? Sesame Street’s Elmo, Grover and Cookie Monster Join Del Monte Foods to 

Promote Healthy Eating Habits Among Children (June 21, 2006), available at www.sesameworkshop.org/

aboutus/inside_press.php?contentId=16467280.

171. See Press Release, Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network to Adopt New Food & Beverage-Related Guidelines 

and New Healthy Lifestyle Programming Pledge for Kids (Aug. 17, 2007), available at http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=18509; Jon Lafayette, Discovery Lends Kids Label to Healthy Foods, TVWeek, Aug. 

13, 2007, available at www.tvweek.com/news/2007/08/discovery_lends_kids_label_to.php.

172. These characters have appeared on packages of spinach, baby carrots, frozen edamame, apples, pears, and 

clementines. See Press Release, Seapoint Farms, Seapoint Farms Meets Dora the Explorer & SpongeBob 

(July 19, 2006), available at www.seapointfarms.com/shownews.asp?newsid=40. At the same time, 

however, Nickelodeon continued to license its characters for use on non-better-for-you products, including SpongeBob on PopTarts, as well as for a promotional tie-in with Burger King in connection with the 

SpongePantis Atlantis movie. See, e.g., The Biz: Nick Rethinks Partnerships to Promote SpongeBob to Kids, 

Brandweek, Oct. 29, 2007.

173. See Andrew Martin, Nickelodeon to Limit Use of Characters on Junk Food, N.Y. Times, Aug. 16, 2007, at 

C3. Special occasions such as Halloween are excepted. Id.

174. See Marc Graser, WB, Safeway Support Healthy Eating; Looney Tunes to Promote Eating Right Kids Line, 

Variety, June 3, 2008. Certain ice cream products and birthday cakes are exempt from this commitment.

175. See Seapoint Farms, supra note 172. Similarly, a representative of Sesame Workshop reported at the 2007 

Forum that parents say its strategy of licensing characters to promote fruits and vegetables is working. 2007 

Forum Transcript at 93.

176. See 2007 Forum Transcript at 94-100; see also Kotler, supra note 170, at 6-13. The research showed that, 

on average, children were more likely to indicate that they would eat foods with Sesame Street characters on 

them, as compared to foods without characters at all or with unknown characters, and also that children were 

more likely to taste more pieces of a nutritious food when a Sesame Street character was associated with the 

food. 2007 Forum Transcript at 100.

177. See McD’s ‘Active’ Ingredient: Shrek, Brandweek, Apr. 14, 2008, at S12. The report also indicated that sales 

of “Happy Meal” units increased by 16%. A related website encouraged children to engage in physical activities for which they earned points to redeem online for rewards.

178. See 2007 Forum Transcript at 83.
Endnotes

97

179. See id. at 84-85.

180. See Press Release, ION Media Networks, ION Media Networks Pledges to Combat Childhood Obesity, Aug. 

27, 2007, available at www.businesswire.com.

181. See Press Release, American Heart Association, Nickelodeon, Clinton Foundation and American Heart 

Association Announce Partnership to Fight Childhood Obesity, Oct. 20, 2005, available at www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3034761; see also Seapoint Farms, supra note 172.

182. See 2007 Forum Transcript at 39-40; American Heart Association, supra note 181.

183. See Sections IV.B.4.A.i (icons), IV.B.7, and note 161 (licensed characters and theme park food).