Kellogg will make major changes in the way it markets food to US children under 12 years. It will also adopt nutrition standards for marketing foods to children.
In return, advocacy groups Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood and Center for Science in the Public Interest will drop a planned lawsuit.
The food company says it will phase out the marketing of unhealthy products to young US children and cut the sugar, fat, and sodium content of food it markets to them. Advertised products must contain less than 200 per serving, two grams of saturated fat and 12 grams of sugar.
Foods that don’t meet the new standards will no longer be advertised to children on TV, radio, the Internet, or in print. Kellogg also said it would stop using product placements, branded toys and school promotions for less healthy foods.
Kellogg Agrees to New Standards for Food Marketing to Children
Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood has the details of the joint deal on its website.
It comments: “While Kellogg’s new policy doesn’t go as far as we would like — we believe all advertising should be targeted to parents, not children — it is a tacit admission that the advertising practices favored by the food industry have had a powerful influence on children’s food choices and have had a negative effect on children’s health and well-being. For far too long, the food industry has denied that marketing is a factor in children’s consumption of unhealthy foods.”
Read more: News, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, 14 June 2007
Kellogg Makes Historic Settlement Agreement, Adopting Nutrition Standards For Marketing Foods To Children
CSPI’s news release includes links to CSPI’s 2006 analysis of Kellogg’s marketing tactics and the 2006 announcement of the lawsuit.
Read more: News, Center for Science in the Public Interest, 14 June 2007
Kellogg’s pledges healthier ads for kids
Australian health experts say Kellogg’s changes are too lenient and should be regulated by governments instead.
Read more: The Australian, 15 June 2007
Kellogg to phase out some food ads to children
Read more: New York Times, 6 June 2007
