Abstract
Childhood obesity is a complex issue with many contributing factors. Today,
children live in an obesogenic environment that promotes the consumption calorie dense
foods high in sugar, fat, and sodium. While much of the previous research has
focused on linking the consumption of junk foods to obesity, an important area that has
been overlooked until recently is how regular children’s foods are contributing to the
childhood obesity epidemic. Today, a large proportion of children’s foods are being
marketed with nutrition claims, health claims, and industry generated front-of-package
nutrition logos despite the fact that they contain high levels, of sugar, fat, and sodium.
A study by Elliott (2008) found that 89% of the children’s foods in Canadian grocery
stores were marketed with nutrition and health claims, yet 63% of them could be
classified “as of poor nutritional quality” due to their high levels of sugar, fat, and
sodium. Similarly, a study by Colby (2010) examining a large sample of foods in the
US found that 42% of children’s foods contained both nutrition marketing and high levels
of saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. These regular foods which include granola bars,
breakfast cereals, fruit leathers, and yogourts are often marketed with claims such as
‘excellent source of calcium’, ‘reduced fat’, and ‘made with real fruit juice’ in large font on
the front of the packaging of children’s foods in order to appeal to parents. Claims that prominently single out one nutrient in large bold font of the front of a food package in a
nutritionally inferior product high in sugar, fat, and sodium could be construed as
misleading advertisement.
The misleading information conveyed by claims on children’s food packaging can
be framed as a problem of information asymmetry. Foods boldly displaying large
nutrition claims that draw attention one nutrient in an otherwise unhealthy product
interfere with parents’ ability to accurately judge the nutritional quality of the foods they
are purchasing for their children. As a result, many uninformed parents swayed by
health and nutrition claims may end up purchasing foods for their children that are high
in sugar, fat, and salt. Regulated nutrition and health claims as well as unregulated
industry generated nutrition logos constitute the two main sources of information
asymmetry. Although the Food and Drugs Regulations lay out specific criteria for the
use of nutrition and health claims, it falls short in two major areas: it does not prohibit
foods high in sugar, fat, and sodium from carrying health or nutrition claims, nor does it
prohibit food manufacturers from displaying their own unregulated nutrition logos on the
front of children’s food packages. As a result, food manufacturers are free to continue
aggressively marketing their unhealthy foods to parents with important consequences
for children’s weight and their future health.
Refereed
Yes
