Last year the Foundation for Advertising Research (FAR) published a report prepared by Associate Pofessors Debra Harker and Michael Harker of the University of the Sunshine Coast. It was called ‘Advertising’s Role in Diet and Exercise in New Zealand and Australia: Developing a research agenda.’
This Harker report was frequently quoted in food and advertising industry submissions to the Health Select Committee’s Inquiry into Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in NZ.
FOE was concerned about the Harker report. It appeared to us to be lightweight and in some respects misleading.
We commissioned two reviews of the Harker report. One is by Professor Janet Hoek from the Department of Marketing at Massey University, and the other by Associate Professor Robert Scragg from the School of Population Health, University of Auckland.
We asked the reviewers to scrutinise the Harker report from both advertising and obesity research perspectives. They were not impressed.
Read FOE’s introduction to the Scragg and Hoek reviews (PDF 7 KB)
Read the Scragg review (PDF 56 KB)
Read the Hoek review (PDF 105 KB)
