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Food Marketing: Impact and Effect on Children’s

Dietary Preferences

Elaine D. Kolish, VP and Director ekolish@council.bbb.org

Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative Council of Better Business Bureaus

Weight of the Nation Washington, DC

May 7, 2012

CFBAI Background

Started 2006

• Respond to IOM/FTC call to action

• Shift product mix in child-directed ads, as IOM recommended

– Fewer calories, lower in fats, sodium, sugars

– More nutrient dense

• Provide way for advertisers to support efforts of parents, schools

• Provide transparency, oversight and accountability

5th anniversary – Nov. 2011

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Ongoing Positive Changes for Child-Directed Advertising Landscape

• Before CFBAI (2006) few companies had nutrition standards for kids’ ads – CARU Guidelines for how, but not what, to advertise

– No third-party accountability on what was advertised

• Currently 16 companies commit to – Use meaningful science based company-specific nutrition

standards (13 companies) for kids’ advertising, OR

– Not to engage in child-directed advertising (3 companies)

– Oversight, monitoring & reporting on changes/compliance

• Dec. 31, 2013 CFBAI uniform nutrition criteria go into effect

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CFBAI Participants: ~ 80% Food Ads on Kids’ TV

Decline in Child-Directed Food Ads on TV*

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62%

38%

1977

24%

76%

2010

33%

67%

2004

Food Ads

Non Food Ads

*Results for 1977 & 2004 are from an analysis of shows with 50%+ kids in the audience. See Table 5.3 in FTC’s Bureau of Economics Staff Report, “Children’s Exposure to TV Advertising in 1977 and 2004” (2007). FTC estimates a 9% decline in children’s exposure to food ads across all programming. 2010 results are from a CFBAI analysis of 38.5 hours of children’s television.

TV Still King with Kids

3:41

:46 1:01

:46

:17

0:00

5:00

Television Computers Video

Games

Print Computer

Games

1 Common Sense Media, Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America Children’s Media Use in America (2011). 2 Kaiser Family Foundation, Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8-18-Year-Olds (2010).

Daily A

vera

ge

(HH

:MM

)

0-8 Year Olds1 8-10 Year Olds2

74%

13%

10%

4%

% of total screen time

TV set

Computer

Video game players

Cell/iPhone/iPad

Recent studies show that TV dominates kids media use in terms of percentage of kids using and duration of use in a typical day

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Assessing Progress: CFBAI

• CFBAI measures improvements objectively

• Have products been dropped?

• Are advertised products improving?

– Have calories, fats, sodium, or sugars been reduced?

• Look at gram and percentage changes

– Has fruit, veg, dairy or whole grain content increased?

– Has nutrient content, particularly shortfall nutrient content, increased?

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Assessing Progress: Others

• Variety of standards used: no uniformity! – Non-U.S. and criteria that conflict with U.S. DGAs

• “Go, Slow, Whoa” metric: illogical, DGA contrary results – All low-fat yogurts, no matter how sugary are “Go” foods, while all presweetened

cereals, no matter how little sugar or how nutrient dense are “Whoa” foods

• Use of binary (meets/does not meet) metrics: does not identify the steady, incremental change that is our goal – “35-10-35” metric: no credit for improvements such as 5-20% or greater

reductions in sugar if cereal has > 35% sugar by weight

• Use of government standards scorned: meeting FDA’s definition for “healthy” not good enough

• Studies of all ads kids may see: CFBAI focus on child-directed, not family/adult-focused ads in prime time dramas/reality shows

• Heaping flawed studies on top of each other = a pile of flawed studies, not a stronger argument against self regulation

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Significant Improvements From Use of Meaningful Nutrition Criteria

• ≥ 100 products changed or created to meet nutrition standards

– Other products no longer advertised or discontinued

– Reformulation and new product development ongoing

• Calories

– Virtually every individual product under 200 calories

– No entrees/main dishes > 350 calories; No meals > 600 calories

• Sodium

– Pre-CFBAI some products with > 900 mg sodium

– Now highest is 750 (most far less: FDA “healthy” levels used by many)

• Sugars

– Variety of limits

– Reductions in cereals, yogurts; lower-sugar items sourced

• Fats

– ≤ 2 grams or ≤ 10% calories sat fat general standards

– A number of products reformulated to lower fats to meet limits

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Spring 2010 Snapshot of Participant Ads on Kids’ TV

• 87% included 10% DV of a shortfall nutrient and/or ½ serving of F/V/D/WG

• 32% had ≥ ½ serving of veg or fruit

– As a separate dish in a meal or in a combo product (e.g., pasta)

• 33% included low/fat-free milk or yogurt

• 27% products/meals had ≥ 8 g whole grains

– 8 g significant (DGAs 2010)

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Recent Changes: F/V/D/WG Increases

• All “small meals” & “meals” include fruit and/or veg as a side dish

– Apples/applesauces, pineapple, mandarin oranges, peaches

– Corn, mixed veg

• More dairy products (in addition to milks/yogurts)

– 2% reduced fat cheese, 50 calorie snacks

• More whole grain usage

– Breads, buns, cooked & RTE cereals, crackers, pasta

– New CFBAI Fact Sheet shows whole grains use in products is widespread

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ConAgra Foods Kid Cuisine: Fruit &/or Veg Sides; Whole Grains

16 grams

16 grams 12 grams

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17 grams

Kraft Foods: New Lunchables with Fruit

2011-12: Lunchables with Fruit with a serving of fruit.

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Burger King: Whole Grains

• New kids breakfast meal (2012)

– Oatmeal (31 grams of whole grains)

– Apple slices (½ cup: 1 serving)

– Fat-free white milk (serving dairy)

– 285 Calories, 9 g Sugars (exclusive of natural sugars in milk & apple slices), 395 mg Sodium

• Chicken Tenders & Hamburger meals

– With apple slices and fat-free milk or juice

– Calories: 305-385; Sodium: 435-505 mg

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McDonald’s:

Happy Meals with Apples

• Apples with all Happy Meals (2012)

• Small kid’s fry (1.1 oz) – ~ 100 calories – Option to have two bags of apples instead

of fries

• Low-fat white milk or fat-free choc milk (22 g sugars) or 100% apple juice

• Calories: 410-440 (McNuggets meals)

• Sodium: 450-570 mg

• Ads promote physical activity and healthy eating

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Recent Changes: Added Sugar Reductions

• 2012: Burger King Corp. and McDonald’s dropped caramel dipping sauces

• 2009-2011: Sugar content of cereals in child-directed ads steadily declined

– Before CFBAI: 14, 15 or 16 g per serving

– Now: Most ≤ 10 grams sugar per serving

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General Mills: Sugars and Whole Grains

• All cereals advertised to kids have ≤ 10 grams sugars per serving

– Commitment to reduce sugars to single digits

• Sugar reductions in Trix yogurts too

• All Big G cereals contain ≥ 9 grams whole grains per serving (up from 8 g)

– Whole grains listed as first ingredient

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Post Foods: Sugars and Whole Grains

• 2011: Reduced its sugar limit to 11 g from 12 g per serving

• New in 2011: Pebbles Boulders

– Whole grain based cereal: 16 g of whole grains per serving (51% of the grains)

– 8 g of sugars

• 2 others with 8 g whole grains per serving

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Sodium Reductions: In Many Product Lines & Products

• Individual products

– Cereals (Lucky Charms)

– Soups (Campbell’s kids soups)

• Main dishes (Campbell Soup and ConAgra Foods’ canned pastas)

• Small meals (Lunchables, Kid Cuisine)

• Meals (Burger King Corp. & McDonald’s)

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Campbell Soup Co: Chicken & Stars

Soup Sodium Reductions

Pre-2007 Pledge: 940 mg

July 2007: 640 mg

Current Formulation: 480 mg

ConAgra Foods: Sodium Reductions in Chef Boyardee Mini O’s

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Current CFBAI Program and Requirements for Participants

• Require 100% healthier products ads or no child-directed ads

– New: Increased from 50% to 100%

– New: Eliminated healthy lifestyle messaging as a compliance option

• Expanded ad coverage beyond traditional measured media – New: Digital & mobile media, such as ads on smart phones, tablets

– New: Ads on EC rated /child-directed video games, DVDs of child-directed G rated movies/similar content

– New: Word of mouth advertising that is primarily child-directed

• Limit on licensed character use expanded to movie tie-ins (new) & celebrities (new): healthier products only in covered advertising

• No seeking out/paying for placement in child-directed content

• No ads in schools to kids in pre-K — 6th grade (new: pre-k)

• “Child-Directed” ad definitions substantially harmonized (new)

– No participant uses definition higher than 35% audience ages 2-11

• CFBAI monitoring policies on not directing ads to kids < 6 (new) – 5 added such policies; majority now have such policies

Transparency, Monitoring and Reporting

• Monitor independently

– Excellent compliance

• Publish annual reports

• Provide nutrition criteria summaries; product lists

• Issue newsletters; fact sheets

• All (and more) on CFBAI website – www.bbb.org/kids_food

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CFBAI’s Nutrition Review

• Goal to develop uniform standards OR updated, stronger company-specific criteria

• Participant committee of scientists & nutritionists

• Reviewed wide array of material – 2010 Dietary Guidelines

– Government standards for “healthy,” “low,” etc.

– IWG proposals

– IOM FOP, sodium and school food reports

– AHG, Disney and QUBO standards

• Solicited expert views at “Nutrition Science Review Conference” (Feb. 2-3, 2011) – Company nutritionists, lawyers, GA staff attended

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White Paper: Basis for Categories and Criteria

Category-based so inherent product characteristics considered

1. Juices

2. Dairy products

3. Grain, fruit & veg products, & items not in other categories

4. Soups/meal sauces

5. Seeds/nuts/nut butters/spreads

6. Meat, fish and poultry products

7. Mixed dishes

8. Main dishes

9. Small meals

10. Meals

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Nutrients to Limit (NTL)

Which NTL

• Calories

• Saturated fat

• Trans fat*

• Sodium

• Total sugars

Why total sugars • Declared on Nutrition

Facts Panel

• Can monitor compliance analytically

• Set criteria to address diet quality concerns of added sugars

*The criteria for trans fat is 0 g labeled for all categories. For foods in the meat and dairy categories served as individual foods or as part of composite foods or meals (e.g., soups, mixed dishes, entrees, meal-type products), naturally occurring trans fat are excluded.

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Nutrition Components to Encourage (NCTE)

Amount: Increases

with Calories Component

≥ ¼ c - 2 serv Food groups to encourage (fruits, vegetables, non/low-fat dairy or whole grains), or

≥ 10% DV ≥ 1 to 3 naturally occurring essential nutrients, or

≥ 10% DV ≥ 1 to 3 nutrients of concern (fiber, potassium, calcium, vitamin D) or those nutrients required on the NFP (iron, vitamins C & A) if fortified, or

Some combination of the above

Nutrients collectively are “essential” nutrients: definition in “Abbreviations and Glossary”

Category-Specific Criteria Requirements

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CFBAI’s Category-Specific Nutrition Criteria Benefits

• Stronger than current company-specific criteria

– Eliminate product qualifying solely on

• “reduced” claim

• portion controlled, 100-calorie packaging

– Include calorie limits for all categories

– Include NTL limits & NCTE requirements for all categories

• Fill gaps in current participant standards

• Even more transparent/easier to understand

• Rigorous implementation deadline – Dec. 31, 2013

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New Criteria Will Drive Further Improvements

• Many recipes need changes if products to be advertised after Dec. 31, 2013

– ~ 1/3 of CFBAI-listed products (7/2011) fail new criteria

• NTL need to be reduced, OR

• NCTE need to be increased, OR

• Both need adjustment

– Affects products in pipeline: many scraped already

• Provides a strong, but reasonable, roadmap for new product development

– Steady, incremental changes necessary for consumer acceptance

IWG Request for Comments on Proposed Principles (April 2011)

• Recognized principles would pose

technological and consumer acceptance challenges

• Requested alternatives based on

– FDA definitions of “healthy” nutrient content claim

– Federal regulations establishing “disclosure” levels

– The “disqualifying nutrient levels” used for health claims

• CFBAI’s comment included our new uniform nutrition criteria

– Well within scope of what IWG sought

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CFBAI Comment to IWG

• IWG nutrition principles unrealistic

• Underestimated the technical challenges

– Reduce sodium dramatically (50% or more) to 210 mg (individual foods) in 5 years

• Functional roles for nutrients

– Sodium (anti-molding, leavening)

• Consumer acceptance issues huge

– Taste is key; retraining palates takes time

– Most consumers not convinced sodium is a problem

IWG Response to CFBAI’s New Criteria

• FTC (BCP Director David Vladeck)

CFBAI criteria represent “substantial progress” and are “considerably stronger than the status quo.”*

• USDA (CNNP Deputy Director Rob Post)

“The new uniform CFBAI nutrition criteria appear to be a step forward in changing the food advertising landscape, while also taking into consideration the feasibility of manufacturers making meaningful changes to the nutrient content of food products.”*

* Congressional Subcommittee Hearing on Food Marketing to

Children (Oct. 12, 2011) 32

Self-Regulation is Improving the Kids’ Food Advertising Environment

• Healthier foods advertised as IOM recommended

– Well over 100 reformulated, new or enhanced products

– Other products no longer advertised or discontinued

– Reformulation and innovation continuing

• Dynamic program has been expanded/enhanced

– More ad venues covered as of Jan. 1, 2010

– Child-directed ad definitions substantially harmonized

• Uniform nutrition criteria adopted

– Product reformulation aligned with DGA goals

– New CFBAI uniform criteria = even more improvements

– Commitment to review criteria going forward

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Extra Material: Other Examples of Product Innovation & Reformulation

• Slide 35: Campbell Soup, whole grain breads

• Slide 36: Dannon Company, dairy & yogurt focus

• Slide 37: Kellogg Company, fiber & whole grain content

• Slide 38: Nestlé USA dairy & calcium

• Slide 39: PepsiCo, whole grain

• Slide 40: Sara Lee whole grains

• Slide 41: Unilever, peanut butter & popsicles

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Campbell Soup Company: Whole Grains

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• New in 2011: Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Sandwich Breads

− 18 grams of whole grains per serving − 3 grams of fiber

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Dannon Company: Yogurt and Dairy Focus

• Under pledge only yogurts, yogurt drinks and dairy products in child-directed advertising

• Formulated Danimals Crush Cup to meet pledge nutrition standards

Kellogg Company:

Whole Grains & Fiber

• Whole grains − Frosted Mini-Wheats

• ≥ 44 grams whole grains per serving

− Froot Loops & Apple Jacks

• ≥ 8 grams whole grains per serving

• Fiber increased to ≥ 10% DV in many cereals − 2/3 of cereals now at ≥ 10% fiber

− Frosted Mini-Wheats have 6 grams fiber per serving

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Nestlé USA: Dairy & Calcium

• Some products reformulated prior to joining CFBAI – To meet consumer demand & internal

guidelines • E.g., Nesquik® flavored milk

• Added calcium-fortified low-fat milk (40% DV)

• No child-directed advertising of Wonka® brand candy (or any confections) under pledge

PepsiCo, Inc.: Whole Grains

• 2011: Added 4 Quaker Chewy Granola Bars to kids advertising – 10 grams Whole Grains

– <100 calories

– Good source of calcium

• 2012: Advertising only oatmeal (instant, quick and old-fashioned)

– All whole grain

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Sara Lee: Whole Grains Breads

• 2011: advertised 2 varieties of Soft & Smooth breads made with whole grains - White Bread (10 grams whole grains)

- 100% Whole Wheat Bread (27 grams whole grains)

• Currently, Sara Lee is not advertising any products to kids

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Unilever: Product Focus & Changes

• Only Popsicle and Skippy peanut butter brand products advertised to children

• Revised Popsicle nutrition standards in 2008

– Changes allow for products with low-fat milk – 110 calorie limit – ≤ 25% total sugars by weight and ≤ 20% added sugars by

weight limit