Junk Food: Just as Bad as Cigarettes, and Marketing Tactics Also
Rival Those of Big Tobacco
June 07, 2014
Story at-a-glance
The documentary Consuming Kids reveals the shrewd
practices of the multi-billion dollar marketing machine
designed to turn your kids into loyal, lifelong
consumers who will also influence how the entire family
spends its money
Children age two to 11 now see an average of more than
10 television food ads per day. Ninety-eight percent of
food advertisements viewed by children are for products
that are high in fat, sugar, or sodium. Most are also
low in fiber
A UN official recently warned that obesity is a bigger
global health threat than tobacco use, and that this
fact isn’t taken as seriously as it should be
He urges nations to place stricter regulations on
unhealthy foods, restrict junk food advertising, and
amend agricultural subsidies that make unhealthy
processed foods cheaper than healthy foods
By Dr. Mercola
There are over 61.5 million children under the age of 14 in
the US,1
and for American businesses, these kids represent one of the
most powerful demographics to be captured.
Not only do these children spend $40 billion a year on
snacks, toys, and electronics, using money given to them by
their parents or family members, they also exert a powerful
influence on their parents' spending.
As noted in the documentary film Consuming Kids,
children under 12 influence adult spending worth a staggering
$700 billion a year, which equates to the combined economy of
115 of the world's poorest countries.
The film also reveals the shrewd business practices
of the multi-billion dollar marketing machine that has one sole
purpose: to turn your kids into loyal, lifelong consumers who
will also influence how the entire family spends its money.
Much of this money is spent on processed junk foods, which
has been overwhelmingly implicated in rising obesity and chronic
disease rates—especially among kids.
Captivating children's attention with superheroes and other
cartoon characters, using freebie toys to entice them, even
ensuring the checkout aisles at grocery stores are stocked with
candy bars within a toddler's reach - all intentional marketing
towards children.
What's worse, according to recent research into food
addiction, "highly processed foods can lead to classic signs of
addiction like loss of control, tolerance, and withdrawal,2"
Time Magazine reports. The sugar, salt, and trans fats
formulas to these processed foods are also intentional, as many
"food scientists" have collaborated to ensure human taste
receptors are manipulated by these irresistible goods.
Obesity Poses Greater Threat to Health Than Smoking
Another Time Magazine article quotes UN Special
Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, as saying
that "obesity is a bigger global health threat than tobacco
use," and that this fact isn't taken as seriously as it should
be.
His statements were delivered at the opening of the 2014
World Health Organization's
annual summit. De Schutter ultimately wants nations to join
forces to place stricter regulations on unhealthy foods:
"Just as the world came together to regulate the
risks of tobacco, a bold framework convention on adequate
diets must now be agreed," he said.
"The Special Rapporteur has previously agitated for
greater governmental action on junk foods, including taxing
unhealthy products, regulating fats and sugars, cracking
down on advertising for junk food, and rethinking
agricultural subsidies that make unhealthy food cheaper,"
Time Magazine notes.
'Governments have been focusing on increasing calorie
availability,' he said, 'but they have often been
indifferent to what kind of calories are offered, at what
price, to whom they are made available, and how they are
marketed.'"
The idea that being overweight can be more harmful than
smoking is likely to make many balk, considering how "normal" it
has become to carry around extra pounds, but in terms of overall
health effects and subsequent health care costs, it's likely
true. For example, data collected from over 60,000 Canadians
show that obesity leads to more doctor visits than smoking.3
Canadian and American
obesity statistics are neck-to-neck, with about one-quarter
to one third of adults in the obese category. A staggering
two-thirds of Americans are overweight. This does indeed place a
heavy burden on the health care system. It's important to
realize that a large number of diseases are directly
attributable to obesity, including:
Diabetes
Cancer
Congestive heart failure
Enlarged heart
Pulmonary embolism
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease
Fatty liver disease
Hernia
Erectile dysfunction
Urinary incontinence
Chronic renal failure
Lymph edema
Cellulitis
Stroke
Pickwickian syndrome
Depression
Osteoarthritis
Gout
Gallbladder disease
The Rise of Stealth Marketing
Kids are quite literally being deceived into destroying their
health potential by junk food companies seeking revenue. And
there's nothing "accidental" about rising childhood obesity
rates when you take deceptive marketing into account. Marketing
to children has turned into a full-blown science in its own
right. For example, the featured film reveals how "the nag
factor" has been studied to the point that marketers can be
advised on "what kind of tantrums work better."
Yes, ads are actually designed to increase the
number of times your child will keep asking you for the
product—i.e. drive you completely batty and/or embarrass you in
public until you give in just to make it stop. With advances in
technology, the avenues for marketing have also grown
exponentially over the past 30 years. It is no longer restricted
to TV ads. Kids are now exposed to clever marketing via brand
licensing, product placement, schools, stealth marketing, viral
marketing, DVDs, games, and the internet. There are so many ways
to reach children today that there's a brand in front of your
child's face nearly every moment of every day. As summarized by
Top Documentary Films:4
"Drawing on the insights of health care
professionals, children's advocates, and industry insiders,
the film focuses on the explosive growth of child marketing
in the wake of deregulation, showing how youth marketers
have used the latest advances in psychology, anthropology,
and neuroscience to transform American children into one of
the most powerful and profitable consumer demographics in
the world.
Consuming Kids pushes back against the wholesale
commercialization of childhood, raising urgent questions
about the ethics of children's marketing and its impact on
the health and well-being of kids."
As mentioned in the film, what we're seeing is a rise of "360
degree immersive marketing," designed to convince children that
life is about buying and "getting." It's about turning children
into loyal lifelong consumers, and when it comes to processed
foods, kids are being brainwashed into believing junk foods will
make them healthy and happy. The truth, however, is
diametrically opposed to such propaganda. According to a 2013
report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM),5
children age two to 11 now see an average of more than 10
television food ads per day. And nearly all (98 percent) of
these are for products that are high in processed, damaged fats,
sugar, and/or sodium. Most (79 percent) are low in fiber.6
According to the IOM:
"The marketing of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods
and beverages is linked to overweight and obesity. A 2006
IOM report provided evidence that television advertising
influences the food and beverage preferences, requests, and
short-term consumption of children."
An Unstoppable 'Beast' Set on Devouring Your Kids
In the late 1970s, in the wake of rising concerns about
sugary cereals and children's inability to understand the intent
of advertising, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) tried to ban
all ads aimed at kids below the age of eight. After all, a young
child cannot understand that an ad is not an impartial
infomercial that tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth... For this reason, advertising aimed at children
is grossly underhanded, if not outright immoral.
When it comes to junk food advertising, a question that must
be asked is: where's the liability for lying to kids about food
and nutrition? To say that something is good for you, when in
reality it destroys your metabolic function and promotes
obesity—and all its associated health problems—is a tremendously
harmful lie. From my perspective, this is a lie that processed
food manufacturers should be held accountable for. Why is it a
crime to kill someone instantly, but not when you're killing
people slowly? Not surprisingly, Big Business stepped in and
convinced Congress to block the FTC's attempts to bar
advertising to children.
This dangerous practice of marketing addictive junk foods to
kids is a despicable, predatory act that is even more perverse
than the tactics Big Tobacco used for decades.
Congress actually passed "The FTC Improvement Act," which
stripped the FTC of the power and authority to regulate
marketing to children. As noted in the featured documentary,
before deregulating children's TV marketing, children's spending
had risen at a modest four percent per year. After deregulation,
children's spending skyrocketed to 35 percent per year, from
$4.2 billion a year in 1984 to $40 billion a year today—an 852
percent increase in less than three decades!
Junk Food Marketing Works and Alters Food Preferences Long-Term
There's no doubt that junk food advertising works, and works
long-term. Research7
shows when parents fed their preschool-aged children junk foods
high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, it had a lasting impact
on their taste preferences. All of the children tested showed
preferences for junk foods, and all (even those who were just
three years old!) were also able to recognize some soda, fast
food, and junk food brands.
The researchers concluded what you probably already suspect:
kids who were exposed to junk food, soda, and fast food, via
advertising and also because their parents fed them these foods,
learned to recognize and prefer these foods over healthier
choices. There's no doubt that this has an impact on their
health, as nutrients from quality foods are critical in helping
your child reach his or her fullest potential. One British study8
revealed that kids who ate a predominantly processed food diet
at age three had lower IQ scores at age 8.5.
For each measured increase in processed foods, participants
had a 1.67-point decrease in IQ. As you might suspect, the
opposite also held true, with those eating healthier diets
experiencing higher IQ levels. For each measured increase in
dietary score, which meant the child was eating more fruits and
vegetables for instance, there was a 1.2-point increase in IQ.
Moreover, as recently reported in Time Magazine,9
processed foods appear to be intrinsically addictive, leading
kids into food addiction at an early age:
"The study of food addiction is an emerging and
controversial field. But according to Ashley Gearhardt, a
researcher who focuses on food addiction at the University
of Michigan and helped establish the guidelines for the
Yale Food Addiction Scale, highly processed foods can
lead to classic signs of addiction like loss of control,
tolerance, and withdrawal.
A growing body of research backs her up—and that's
especially concerning in children because an addiction
forged in a child's early years could put the child at more
serious risk for chronically unhealthy eating into
adulthood... Gearhardt explains: 'The more kids are exposed
to [junk foods] early in life, the more it is going to set
them up for problems. They're brains are still pretty
plastic.'"
According to Gearhardt, the answer is not to increase
availability of healthy foods. The answer is to REMOVE junk
foods entirely. If they're still an option, kids will choose
them every time over healthier fare. This would include removing
vending machines from schools as well. If history is any
indication, it may take a while to overcome the political
inertia on this front, so most of the responsibility will fall
on you, the parent. At the very least, you can abstain from
feeding your family processed foods and junk foods, which can go
a long way toward setting your child on a healthier path.
Misguided Dietary Advice Keeps on Promoting Obesity
It's important to understand that you get fat because you eat
the wrong kind of calories. At the end of the day, your
consumption of carbohydrates, whether in the form of grains and
sugars (especially fructose), will determine whether or not
you're able to manage your weight and maintain optimal health.
This is because these types of carbs (fructose and grains)
affect two important fat-regulating hormones, namely insulin and
leptin. Fats and proteins affect these hormones to a far lesser
degree.
Many processed food and beverage companies have instilled the
false idea that their foods are a perfectly reasonable part of a
healthy diet.
Coca-Cola even ran a deceptive "anti-obesity" campaign not
too long ago, promoting their products in conjunction with
adequate exercise. You ultimately get fat from specific
ingredients in these products—all that high fructose corn syrup
and other added sugars, including
artificial sweeteners, which can cause you to pack on more
pounds than regular sugar!
Dr. Robert Lustig, an expert on the metabolic fate of sugar,
explains that fructose is "isocaloric but not
isometabolic." This means you can have the same amount
of calories from fructose and glucose, fructose and protein, or
fructose and fat, but the metabolic effect will be
entirely different despite the identical calorie count. This is
a crucial point that must be understood. Fructose is in fact far
worse than other carbs because the vast majority of it converts
directly to FAT, both in your fatty tissues, and in your liver.
And this is why counting calories does not work... As long as
you keep eating fructose and grains, you're programming your
body to create and store fat.
Furthermore, research by Dr. Richard Johnson, chief of the
Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension at the University of
Colorado and author of The Sugar Fix and
The Fat Switch, demonstrates that large portions of
food and too little exercise are NOT solely responsible for why
you are gaining weight. Rather it's fructose-containing sugars
that cause obesity—not by calories, but by turning on your "fat
switch," a powerful biological adaptation that causes cells
to accumulate fat in anticipation of scarcity (or hibernation).
According to Dr. Johnson, based on his decades of research:
"Those of us who are obese eat more because of a
faulty 'switch' and exercise less because of a low energy
state. If you can learn how to control the specific 'switch'
located in the powerhouse of each of your cells – the
mitochondria – you hold the key to fighting obesity."
Just ONE Can of Soda Puts You Over the Daily Sugar Allowance for
Optimal Health...
As a general guideline, I recommend limiting your fructose
consumption to 25 grams per day, or even lower—15 grams per
day—if you are insulin resistant, overweight, or have heart
disease, diabetes, or any other disease stemming from insulin
resistance. Meanwhile, just one can of Coke contains about 35
grams of sugar, which alone exceeds your daily recommended
intake of fructose.
Contrary to what soda makers want you to believe, you can
achieve optimal health without any added sugar or
artificial sweeteners. In fact, if you want to understand energy
balance, read up on how you can teach your body to burn
fat for fuel rather than sugar or carbs. This requires
cutting out virtually all added sugars. The health benefits of
becoming fat adapted are strongly supported and confirmed by
science, yet you won't get this information from most
conventional health authorities. And the reason for this is
because most conventional
nutrition professionals are in the pocket of processed food
companies.
The processed food industry's refusal to accept
responsibility for leading you and your children astray is no
different from Big Tobacco's long-standing refusal to admit
their products caused lung cancer. Yet in the end, the truth
prevailed. This is what needs to happen to the processed food
industry as well. Their products are causing an incredible
amount of chronic disease, yet they deceptively advertise their
wares as healthy and good for you.10,
11 Perhaps as with tobacco, what we need is a major
class action lawsuit to set the record straight, and put an end
to the willful misdirection.
There is some encouraging news, however. As reported in a
previous article in The Atlantic,12
consumption of soda is now "in freefall," with US consumption
having declined by 40 percent since 2003. Unfortunately, many
are simply switching to no- or low-cal beverages, which
Coca-Cola is now trying to boost.
Help Fight Back Against Predatory Marketing to Kids
Mounting research clearly demonstrates that even if you
control the number of calories you eat, if those calories come
from processed fructose and grains, you are at increased risk of
developing metabolic syndrome (pre-diabetes), which includes
insulin resistance, fatty liver, high blood pressure, and high
triglycerides. In short, avoiding fructose in all its
forms, along with other sugars, is imperative in order to avoid
"flipping the fat switch" that will trigger your body to
accumulate excess fat.
This means cutting out processed foods, as most are loaded
with both processed sugars and trans fats. As noted earlier, a
processed food diet strongly promotes excess weight, obesity,
and related health problems, and the health risks associated
with this type of diet now actually surpass the hazards of
smoking. It's high time to acknowledge the role processed foods
have played in creating the current obesity epidemic, worldwide.
As for combating the influence of marketing on your kids'
dietary preferences, and ultimately their health, I'd advise you
to limit the amount of time your child spends watching TV and
surfing the web. Children under the age of three should not be
watching any TV at all, as this is a crucial time of rapid brain
development in which your child's brain is shaped in response to
whatever they're exposed to. Unfortunately, marketing is
everywhere, and you cannot insulate your child from all of it
all of the time. However, in terms of mental and physical
health, junk food ads are among the most harmful, and here you
can lend your support for change. Talk to your kids about what
they're seeing, and why fast food and processed foods simply
aren't good for them—despite what the ad says.
Remember, ads are designed to sell products; not to tell the
whole truth and nothing but the truth... The Prevention
Institute's "We're Not Buying It" campaign13
is petitioning President Obama to put voluntary, science-based
nutrition guidelines into place for companies that market foods
to kids. You can
sign this petition now, but I urge you to go a step further
and stop supporting the companies that are marketing junk foods
to your children today.
Ideally, you and your family will want to vote with your
pocketbook and avoid as much processed food as possible and use
unprocessed raw, organic and/or locally grown foods as much as
possible. If you and your kids are absolutely hooked on fast
food and other processed foods, you're going to need some help
and most likely some support from friends and family. Besides
surrounding yourself with supportive, like-minded people, you
can also review my article
"How to Wean Yourself Off Processed Foods in 7 Steps" or
read the book I wrote on the subject, called
Generation XL: Raising Healthy, Intelligent Kids in a High-Tech,
Junk-Food World.
Finally, my free
nutrition plan offers a step-by-step guide to feed your
family right, and I encourage you to read through it now. You
need to first educate yourself about proper nutrition
and the dangers of junk food and processed foods in order to
change the food culture of your entire family. To give your
child the best start at life, and help instill healthy habits
that will last a lifetime, you must lead by example. Children
will simply not know which foods are healthy unless you, as a
parent, teach it to them.
Copyright 1997- 2014 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.