Cereal Offences

8/3/2019 Cereal Offences

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About Consumers International (CI)Consumers International (CI) is the only independent global campaigning voice for consumers. With over220 member organisations in 115 countries we are building a powerful international consumer

movement to help protect and empower consumers everywhere.

Consumers International is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee in the UK

(company number 4337865) and a registered charity (number 1122155).

For more information, visit www.consumersinternational.org

This report is part ofJunk Food Generation the Consumers International campaign to stop the

marketing of unhealthy food to children www.junkfoodgeneration.org

Cereal OffencesA wake-up call on the marketing of unhealthy food to childrenISBN 978-0-9560297-1-3

Published by Consumers International in October 2008

Consumers International

24 Highbury Crescent

London N5 1RX, UK

email: [email protected]

www.consumersinternational.org


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A wake-up call on the marketing of unhealthy food to children


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CreditsThis report was written by Dr Tim Lobstein, with the assistance of Justin Macmullan,Tom McGrath and Johanna Witt at CI.

Key reviewers of the report included Sue Davies from Which? (UK), Luke Upchurch and

Rosalchen Whitecross at CI.

Thirty-two CI member organisations conducted research in their own countries,

coordinated by the International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT) organisation.

Design and typesetting: Andrea Carter


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ContentsExecutive summary__________________________________________________7

Call for action ______________________________________________________9

Introduction ______________________________________________________10

Research methods__________________________________________________11

Evidence for action ________________________________________________12

Key findings from this research ____________________________________12

The nutritional quality of breakfast cereals marketed to children __12

Sugar in cereals marketed to children ____________________________13

Salt in cereals marketed to children ______________________________15

Fat in cereals marketed to children ______________________________16

Country differences ____________________________________________17

Marketing tactics __________________________________________________18

Labelling and packaging __________________________________________18

On-pack promotion of cereals sold to children ____________________18

Examples of methods used to reassure parents and carers __________22

Off-pack promotion ____________________________________________24

Television advertising __________________________________________25

Websites ______________________________________________________26

Information to guide healthy purchases __________________________28

Front-of-pack signalling ________________________________________29

What the companies say____________________________________________31

Conclusions and recommendations __________________________________34

Endnotes __________________________________________________________37

Note: Products described in this report were examined in or around April

2008. The formulations, packaging and promotional marketing may have

changed and the results reported here may not be applicable to products

available subsequently.


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7

Breakfast cereals are a valuable and expanding market,

especially for the two leading multinationalmanufacturers, Kelloggs and Nestl1. The growth in the

market is, in no small part, a result of the marketing by

these two companies that successfully portrays breakfast

cereals as suitable for children and a healthy way for

children to start the day.

This study, carried out by 32 consumer organisations

around the world, all members of Consumers

International (CI), looked at a number of breakfast cereals

marketed to children. For the purposes of this report we

focus on 13 varieties available in markets around the

world and manufactured by Kelloggs and Nestl.However many of the tactics highlighted in this report are

used across the industry and we have occassionally

included examples from other companies.

The results paint a very different picture to the one

created by the companies marketing campaigns. The

reality is that popular cereal varieties manufactured by

Kelloggs and Nestl and marketed to children, routinely

contain excessive amounts of added salt or added sugar.

Several popular cereal products were found to have

higher levels of salt than is found in potato snacks or

salted nuts, some were even as salty as seawater. Other

varieties contained so much added sugar that they were

found to be sweeter than cookies or iced doughnuts.

In the light of these results CI believes that the cartoon

characters, celebrity tie-ins, TV advertising and websites

that Kelloggs and Nestl deploy to market their products

that are high in sugar and salt to children and their

parents are irresponsible and should be stopped.

Many parents will no doubt be shocked to discover the

levels of sugar and salt in many breakfast cereals.However, such irresponsible marketing also risks

contributing to an international crisis. The World Health

Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.3 billion people,

almost one third of the global population, will be

overweight by 2015. This development is fuelling an

increase in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes,

heart disease and some cancers. Whilst tackling this

pandemic will require a number of strategies,establishing healthy eating habits among young people

is a vital element.

By promoting products that are high in salt and sugar to

children, food companies are establishing patterns of

consumption that fuel the obesity pandemic. Not only

are they giving children unhelpful messages about what

it is good to eat, they are simultaneously undermining

efforts by governments and civil society to promote

healthier diets.

Although companies have started to respond to

consumer pressure by announcing a number of policies

and pledges they have been half-hearted in their

coverage. Even the pledges made by Kelloggs and Nestl

only cover children up to the age of 12 and for the

youngest children exclude marketing techniques, such as

the use of their own brand cartoon characters.

CI and our member organisations are calling for an

international code to stop the marketing of unhealthy

food to children. Some governments have started to take

action, however the evidence from this report shows howlimited the impact has been. Given the urgency of the

Executive summaryMore sugar than a doughnut,

as salty as seawater.

Executive summary


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problem an international code, adopted and monitored

by the WHO, would provide much needed guidance for

governments around the world.

CI is not against the marketing of food, however we

believe that the marketing of energy-dense, nutrient-poor

foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt to children is

irresponsible. Companies should reformulate their

products and compete to market healthier options. A clear

signal from the WHO and national governments that they

will take action against the marketing of unhealthy food to

children can only help to promote such strategy.

8 Executive Summary


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In March 2008, CI and the International Obesity Taskforce

(IOTF) launched Recommendations for an InternationalCode on Marketing of Foods and Non-Alcoholic

Beverages to Children2.

There is a wide disparity between countries in their

approach to the marketing of food to children. Some

have limited restrictions on advertising unhealthy food to

children, whilst others have no statutory protection on

any form of advertising at all. The food and drink

industries own codes also vary in terms of the:

countries covered

definition of a child

types of marketing included.

CI is campaigning for a WHO Code, which will address

this problem by agreeing on international standards to be

implemented by national governments and food

companies.

The CI/IOTF Code targets the marketing of energy-dense,

nutrient-poor foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt to

children up to 16 years old. Its demands include:

A ban on radio or TV adverts promoting unhealthy

food between 06.00 and 21.00.

No marketing of unhealthy food to children using new

media (such as websites, social networking sites and

text messaging).

No promotion of unhealthy food in schools.

No inclusion of free gifts, toys or collectible items,

which appeal to children to promote unhealthy foods.

No use of celebrities, cartoon characters, competitions

or free gifts to market unhealthy food.

You can download a copy of the Code and sign up in

support at www.junkfoodgeneration.org.

9Call for action

Call for action


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10 Introduction

The market for breakfast cereals has been growing

steadily for over a century, and in the last decade hasbeen particularly focussed on expansion in countries such

as China and South East Asia where the consumption of

milk-based dishes is not traditional. This expansion forms

part of the wider nutrition transition in which traditional

diets have given way to diets based on mass-produced

foods, including snacks, candy, soft drinks and desserts.

Behind the changing face of food consumption lies a

large food processing and marketing business, with food

companies spending some $16.4bn in 2006 to advertise

and promote their products.3 The market for breakfast

cereals is a significant part of this just two companies(Kelloggs and General Mills) spent $1.5bn promoting

cereal products in 2006. Much of this is spent on the

promotion of cereals sold as suitable for children.

The changing pattern of food consumption has led to

concerns about the health consequences. Rising rates of

obesity among both adults and, most recently, among

children, along with the risk of diabetes and heart

disease, led the WHO to launch a global strategy to

tackle chronic non-communicable diseases in 2004.4 This

explicitly identifies health problems to be caused by the

excess consumption of fat, sugar and salt, along with

insufficient intake of fruit, vegetables, pulses and whole-

grain cereals.

Furthermore, the WHO strategy stated Food advertising

affects food choices and influences dietary habits. Food

and beverage advertisements should not exploit childrens

inexperience or credulity. Messages that encourage

unhealthy dietary practices or physical inactivity should be

discouraged, and positive, healthy messages encouraged.

Governments should work with consumer groups and the

private sector (including advertising) to developappropriate multi-sectoral approaches to deal with the

marketing of food to children, and to deal with such issues

as sponsorship, promotion and advertising. 5

While breakfast cereals have the potential to be a source

of beneficial whole grains, there is increasing concern

that the high levels of sugar in some products takes them

out of the realm of cereal foods and into the realm of

cookies, candy and desserts

In the present study, the focus was on the quality of

breakfast cereals marketed as particularly suitable for

children, in order to ask whether the products were

nutritionally suitable, whether there were substantial

inconsistencies in the quality of products between

different countries, and whether products were being

promoted in fair and acceptable ways.

IntroductionFood companies spent some

$16.4bn in 2006 to advertise and

promote their products.


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Breakfast cereal products clearly being marketed as

suitable for children were purchased in 32 countries (seeBox 1) during April 2008. Thirteen products (see Table 1)

were found on sale in many countries and were therefore

suitable for comparison in this report.

The labels of the selected products were examined and

the content of the products were sent to laboratories for

chemical analysis to determine the levels of fat, sugar

and salt (sodium chloride).

In nearly all the countries recordings were made of

childrens prime-time television programmes during April

2008 and these were examined for the nature and extent

of commercial advertising of breakfast cereals.

11Research methods

Research methods

Countries undertaking the breakfast cereal surveyEurope

Belgium

Czech Republic

Denmark

FranceGermany

Ireland

Italy

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

SwitzerlandUK

Asia and Pacific

Australia

Fiji Islands

Hong Kong

IndiaIndonesia

Malaysia

New Zealand

Russia

South Korea

Thailand

Americas

USA

Argentina

Brazil

Chile

PeruAfrica

Kenya

Varieties of breakfast cereals examinedProducts sold as suitable for children and available in

many of the countries in the study.

Number of countriesproviding samples

Kelloggs

Choco Krispies Coco Pops 24

Coco Rocks 9

Chocos 13

Froot Loops 10

Frosties 25

Frosties Reduced Sugar 7

Rice Krispies 12

Smacks 9

Nestl

Cheerios 8

Chocapic 10

Cookie Crisp 10

Estrelitas/Honey Stars 7

Nesquik 22

Please note that some products are marketed under

slightly different names in different countries.

Additional information was gained from studying

products sampled in only a few countries.

Box 1:

Table 1:


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Key findings from this researchOur evidence-based research, carried out by consumer

organisations in 32 countries, looked at the nutritional

composition of breakfast cereals marketed to children

and the marketing tactics used in their promotion.

In order to draw international comparisons we focused

on 13 leading varieties that are found in a large number

of the participating countries. These varieties are

manufactured by just two companies, Kelloggs and

Nestl, who between them dominate the international

market for breakfast cereals.

We found: Breakfast cereals sold as suitable for children are not

simply cereal food, but frequently have high amounts

of added salt and routinely have excessive levels of

added sugar.

International comparison of the results undermines the

argument that high levels of sugar and salt are a

response to cultural differences. There was no pattern

of breakfast cereals high in sugar or salt only beingmarketed in specific countries.

Kelloggs and Nestl are using a wide range of

sophisticated techniques to market these products to

children including the use of cartoon characters,

celebrities and film tie-ins on packaging, giveaway toys,

games and competitions as well as off-packet

promotions such as TV advertising, sponsorship of

events and websites.

Kelloggs and Nestl are also marketing these products

to parents by using information and images designed to

reassure them that the products are good for their

children.

This section is divided into the following three parts:

1. Nutritional quality of the products (listed in Box 2)

2. Marketing tactics

3. Information to guide healthy choices

12 Evidence for action

Evidence for action

In summary, the survey found

Sugar was added to most products in high quantities. Of the13 popular products examined, only one (Kelloggs RiceKrispies) had medium levels, while all remaining productshad more than 25% sugar (including the Reduced Sugarversion of Kelloggs Frosties), many had sugar levels above40%, and in one sample (Kelloggs Smacks in the USA) thesugar level was 55%.

Salt was added to nearly all products, typically at around 1%of the products total weight but ranging up to 2.5%. Onlyone product (Kelloggs Smacks) was generally low salt while

another (Kelloggs Rice Krispies) was high salt in mostcountries, as were several samples of Nestls products.

Nearly half the products could be classed as low fat and allthe remaining ones as medium fat. Only a few cereals hadsignificant levels of fat, but in those that did, the fat levelswere as high as 7% - 8% of the product. Products notsampled here, such as sweetened granolas, can havesignificantly higher fat levels.

The nutritional quality of products with the same name andsimilar appearance varied considerably between differentcountries, which are likely to put some children at an evengreater risk than others of consuming high levels of nutrients

they should be limiting their intake of.

In one sample (Kelloggs Smacks in the USA) the sugar level was 55%

The nutritional quality of breakfast cereals marketed to childrenThree aspects of nutrition were examined, ie fat, salt and sugar.

Box 2:


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13

In the discussion of fat, salt and sugar levels, this study

uses the UK Food Standards Agencys (FSA) definitions

of low, medium and high levels of these ingredients

in food.

High levels merit a red traffic light on the front of the

pack, while low levels merit a green traffic light, and

intermediary levels an amber traffic light (see Table 2).

We have used the same system in this report in order to

clearly identify low, medium and high levels. The UK

system is not compulsory and Kelloggs and Nestl do not

use it on their products.

The low criteria are the same as those used by the

European Commission for permitting claims of low fat,

low salt and low sugar on product labels.

Sugar in cereals marketed to childrenPerhaps more than any other concern, the sugar content

of childrens breakfast cereals has been an issue within

the public health community for several decades, and the

promotion of highly sweetened cereals to children hasbeen criticised by consumer and health organisations in

report after report. The findings of the present survey

indicate that little has been done to reduce the sugar

levels in these cereals.

Table 3 on page 14 shows the amounts of sugar (as a

percentage of the product as purchased) found in each

variety on average, and the range of values found for the

same variety bought in different countries.

Sugar was added to all products in the survey. Of the

products examined, only one (Kelloggs Rice Krispies) had

medium sugar levels while all remaining products had

more than 25% sugar (including the Reduced Sugar

version of Kelloggs Frosties), which classifies them as

high sugar.

Many products had sugar levels above 40%, and one

sample (Kelloggs Smacks in the USA) consisted of 55%

sugar. The sugar content of these cereals is as high or

higher than that found in doughnuts (16-22%), ice

cream (21-27%) or sweet cookies (36-46%).7

For children especially, highly sweetened cereals can add

significantly to the daily calorie intake and mayencourage a taste for sweet foods generally.

Manufacturers use sugar to boost taste and appeal to

children. Natural cereal grains contain 1% or less sugar,

too small to influence the results of the present survey.

The evidence from the sugar levels confirms the

suggestion that sugar and salt are both used to boost

flavour appeal, with one substituting for the other. Sugar

and salt also add a crunchy texture to flour-based

products.

The highest sugar levels were found in the product

(Kelloggs Smacks) with the lowest salt level, while the

lowest sugar levels were found in the two products

(Kelloggs Rice Krispies and Kelloggs Frosties Reduced

Sugar) with the highest salt levels.

Graphs 1 and 2 on page 14 show the sugar levels in

Kelloggs Frosties and Nestl Nesquik, the two varieties

that were found in the most countries. In every country

sugar levels were more than double the level considered

to be high according to the UKs FSA traffic light criteria.

Evidence for action

UK Food Standards Agency. Front-of-pack Traffic light signpost labelling. Technical Guidance,Issue 2, November 2007. http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/frontofpackguidance2.pdf

Quantities per 100g food (different figures apply for beverages)

Low Medium High

Fat up to 3g 3g up to 20g over 20g

Salt up to 0.3g 0.3g up to 1.5g over 1.5g

Sugar up to 5g total sugars 5g total sugars up to over 12.5g added sugars12.5g added sugars

The UK traffic light criteria for labelling fat, salt and sugar levels in food6Table 2:


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HIGH

MEDIUMLOW

Argentina

Australia

Belgium

Brazil

Chile

CzechRepublic

Denmark

France

Germany

Ireland

Italy

New

Zealand

Norway

Peru

Poland

Portugal

Russia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

UK

50

40

30

20

10

0

38

3335

40 38 37 3632

3537 39

383433 35 34 33

36 3639

3337

%

14

Nestl

Cheerios 37 33 39

Chocapic 37 34 39

Cookie Crisp 35 31 42

Estrelitas/Honey Stars 34 33 36

Nesquik 36 32 40

Iced doughnu ts 16 22

Ice cream 21 27

Cookies: brownies,Oreos, f ig bars 36 46

Dessert s: mousse,fruit pie 15 17

Average% Range across

sugar in the differentproduct countries

Lowest Highest

Kelloggs

Choco Krispies Coco Pops 35 33 42

Coco Rocks 32 28 38

Chocos 34 30 36

Froot Loops 40 30 44

Frosties 39 32 48

Frosties Reduced Sugar 25 22 29

Rice Kri spies 10 8 13

Smacks 44 40 55

Kellogg's Frosties cereal total sugars (%) by country, rated against UK FSA 'traffic light' criteria

HIGH

MEDIUM

LOW

50

40

30

20

10

0

%

Argentina

Australia

Brazil

Chile

Denmark F

iji

France

Germany

HongKong

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Italy

Kenya

Malaysia

New

Zealand

Peru

Portugal

Russia

SouthKorea

Spain

Switzerland

Thailand

UK

USA

4348

42 43

36

41

36 3538 38

42 40 40 3735

48

40

35 3632

39 3743

4037

Nestle Nesquick cereal total sugars (%) by country, rated against UK FSA 'traffic light' criteria

Low: less than 5% total sugar Medium: between 5% and 12.5% High: more than 12.5% added sugar

Sugar in cereal products marketed to children

Average% Range across

sugar in the differentproduct countries

Lowest Highest

Table 3:

Graph 1:

Graph 2:

Evidence for action


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Salt in cereals marketed to childrenTable 4 shows the amounts of salt (as a percentage of the

product as purchased) found in each variety on average,

and the range of values found for the same variety bought

in different countries.

It can be seen that significant quantities of salt were

present in nearly all products. Natural cereal grains contain

only traces of salt, too small to show on the present survey.

Manufacturers are likely to add salt in order to boost the

flavour of the product, and may use salt to maintain

customer appeal when sugar levels are reduced.

In the present survey, the salt levels in regular Kelloggs

Frosties were compared with the salt levels in the Reduced

Sugar Kelloggs Frosties and found to be significantly

different. Although the difference was small, there wereconsistently higher levels of salt in the Reduced Sugar

version of the product.

Salt was added to nearly all products, typically at around

1% of the products total weight but ranging up to 2.5%.

Only one product (Kelloggs Smacks) was generally low

salt while another (Kelloggs Rice Krispies) was high salt in

most samples, as were several samples of Nestls products.

Graph 3 shows salt levels for Kelloggs Rice Krispies in the

12 countries the product was available in. In all countries,

the level of salt is deemed high, and in the case of HongKong, it reaches the sodium chloride (salt) level

of seawater.8

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Manufacturers are likely to add salt in

order to boost the flavour of the product,

and may use salt to maintain customer

appeal when sugar levels are reduced.

HIGH

MEDIUM

LOW

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

%

Denmark

France

HongKong

Ireland

Italy

Kenya

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

Swizterland

UK

USA

Sodium Chloride (table salt) percentage of seawater

1.7 1.7

2.5

1.72.0

1.51.7

2.0

1.51.7 1.7

2.2

Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal total sodium chloride (salt) (%) by country, rated against UK FSA 'traffic light' criteria

The salt added to these cereals is as high or even higher

than the salt added to savoury snacks such as potato

chips (0.6-0.7% salt), tortilla chips (0.4% salt) and salted

or roasted peanuts (0.6-1.3%).9

For children especially, salty cereals can add significantly

to the daily intake and may lead children to expect salt in

their food generally.

Table 4:

Graph 3:

Salt in cereal products marketed to childrenLow: less than 0.3%Medium: between 0.3% and 1.5% High: more than 1.5%

Average % Range across

salt in the differentproduct countries

Lowest Highest

Kelloggs

Choco Krispies Coco Pops 1.2 0.7 1.7

Coco Rocks .07 0.7 0.7

Chocos 1.0 0.7 1.0

Froot Loops 1.0 0.7 1.2

Frosties 1.2 1.0 1.5

Frosties Reduced Sugar 1.5 1.1 1.5

Rice Krispies 1.7 1.5 2.5Smacks 0.2 0.0 0.5

Nestl

Cheerios 1.2 1.0 1.7

Chocapic 0.5 0.2 2.3

Cookie Crisp 1.2 0.7 1.7

Estrelitas/Honey Stars 0.2 0.0 0.5

Nesquik 0.7 0.5 1.0

Typical salted potatocrisps/chips 0.6 0.7

Salted roasted peanuts 0.6 1.3

Seawater(sodium chloride) 2.5 3.0

Evidence for action


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Fat levels in cereals marketed to childrenTable 5 shows the amounts of fat (as a percentage of the

product as purchased) found in each variety on average,

and the range of values found for the same variety

bought in different countries.

It can be seen that many cereals only include trivial

amounts of fat.

Natural cereal grains contain small amounts of fat and oil

(wheat 2%, maize 5%, oats 7%) and these are generally

considered beneficial forms of fat. However, some of this

will be lost in the milling and refining of the grain.

Manufacturers are likely to use harder fats that have a

longer shelf-life when adding fat in the processing, and

the consumption of these hard fats (especially the trans

fats) is considered generally detrimental to health.

For six varieties, the majority of samples could be

classified as low fat while the remainder were all

classifiable as medium fat and this included products

with fat levels found as high as 8% of the product.

The levels of fat found in the present survey are not

particularly significant, although the type of fat being used

bears further examination. Manufacturers tend to use

blends of fat that are typically up to 50% saturated fat, as

these are slower to oxidise and hence have a longer shelf-

life. Saturated fats are not examined in this report.

16

Fat in cereal products marketed to childrenLow: less than 3%

Medium: between 3% and 20%

High: more than 20%

Average % Range acrossfat in the differentproduct countries

Lowest Highest

Kelloggs

Choco Krispies Coco Pops 2.0 0.3 3.2

Coco Rocks 6.7 1.3 8.9

Chocos 2.2 0.6 2.6

Froot Loops 2.3 0.5 2.9

Frosties 0.6 0.3 0.9

Frosties Reduced Sugar 0.7 0.4 1.2

Rice Krispies 1.2 0.7 1.9

Smacks 1.6 1.1 1.9

Nestl

Cheerios 4.4 3.4 5.4

Chocapic 4.8 4.2 6.0

Cookie Crisp 3.4 2.9 4.4

Estrelitas/Honey Stars 6.6 5.1 7.6

Nesquik 3.9 2.4 4.9

Table 5:

Evidence for action


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17

Countries where the lowest and highest salt and sugar levels were foundLowest salt Highest salt Lowest sugar Highest sugar

Kelloggs

Choco Krispies Brazil Chile, Peru Argentina, Germany, Brazil, ThailandCoco Pops Russia Indonesia, USA

Choco Krispies [little variation] [little variation] Australia New ZealandCoco Rocks

Chocos India [many countries] Germany Belgium, Italy, Norway

Froot Loops Brazil, Chile, Peru India, Australia, New Zealand India USA, Chile

Frosties Italy, Russia, Fiji, Brazil, India, South Korea South Korea AustraliaAustralia, New Zealand New Zealand

Frosties Reduced Sugar Portugal, South Korea Sweden, UK Germany, Switzerland South Korea

Rice Krispies Kenya, Sweden Hong Kong, USA Denmark, Italy, Ireland, UKSpain, Switzerland

Smacks [little variation] USA Germany, Slovenia, France, Spain, USA

Switzerland

Nestl

Cheerios Norway, Czech Rep France, Italy, Spain Poland Czech Rep, Italy

Chocapic Peru [little variation] Chile Czech Rep, Italy

Cookie Crisp Portugal Malaysia, Thailand Malaysia USA

Estrelitas / Honey Stars Brazil, Chile Hong Kong Chile, Spain Indonesia

Nesquik [little variation] Argentina, Brazil, France, Switzerland, BrazilChile, Peru Slovenia, Australia, Italy, Sweden

New Zealand

Table 6:

Country differencesThe cereals examined in this report were purchased in

countries around the world. The results of the nutrient

analyses show that the quality of the products varies

considerably between countries. Some sample variation

can be expected due to uneven product quality during

the manufacturing process. However, as Tables 3 to 5

have shown, the range is considerable and in some cases

the quantities are severalfold greater in one country

than in another.

In Table 6, we list the countries where the lowest and

highest levels of salt and sugar were found for each

product. None of the products were available in all

countries and so a full comparison of practices could

not be made. However, two features of the table are

worth noting:

Firstly that the variety of countries in each column

suggests that there is no clear pattern of marketing to

specific cultural tastes. Countries in Latin America,

Europe, Asia and Australasia are found in both the

lowest and highest sugar content, and lowest and

highest salt content.

Secondly, there is further evidence that sugar and salt

are substituted for each other, with several countries

being found in both the lowest salt and highest

sugar (or lowest sugar and highest salt) for a given

variety. This provides support for the suggestion made

above that manufacturers tend to use both sugar and

salt as a means of boosting the flavour, and that if the

level of one is reduced the other may be increased.

Evidence for action


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Manufacturers have many opportunities to promote their

products to children and to parents and carers.

The packaging and nature of the product itself are used

by manufacturers to attract children by using a wide

range of psychological and emotive techniques, including

cartoon characters, familiar images (eg from films),

competitions, gifts in the pack, gifts and purchases from

on-pack coupons, memberships of clubs, offers of cell-

phone ringtones, jokes, games, and various inducements

to visit the manufacturers websites.

This study also looked at the advertising of breakfast

cereals on television channels during programmes that

are likely to be viewed by children.

Labelling and packagingOn-pack promotion of cerealssold to childrenThis study found a wide variety of techniques being used

on and in the cereal products examined, including many

which were highly attractive to children.

Examples of methods used to make productsattractive to children

Besides using significant levels of sugar and salt to boost

the flavour of breakfast cereals, companies use a largenumber of other devices to make the product appealing

to children.

18 Marketing tactics

Marketing tactics

Kelloggs Cocoa Frosties with Garfield characters assold in Malaysia

Nestl Cookie Crisp with Pink Panther characters assold in Malaysia

Fantasy characters from TV cartoon shows


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19Markteting tactics

Kelloggs Chocos bear features in TV advertisementsin Belgium

General Mills Lucky Charms leprechaun appears onpackaging and on the website in the US

Packets of Nestl Cheerios sold in the US contained

a toy racing car

Nestls Nesquik bunny features on packs sold inRussia and on the Nesquik website

Nestl Nesquick packaging with word search puzzlefrom Norway

Packets of KelloggsCocoa Krispies sold in

Belgium contained a freemagic spoon

Packets of KelloggsFrosties sold in Russia

contained a NO ENTRYdoor hanger

Package cartoons repeated on TVadverts or websites

Puzzles on the packaging

Gifts in the pack


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20

Nestl Honey Stars sold in Malaysia

Kelloggs Choco Krispies sold in Russia

Nestl Koko Krunch sold in Malaysia

Added flavouring agents, eg chocolate

Kelloggs Froot Loops available in several countries

Coloured ingredients

Appealing / fantasy shapes

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Packets of Kelloggs Cocoa Krispies featuring IndianaJones sold in Malaysia and Belgium

Adventure movie tie-ins

Swimming vouchers available on Kelloggs websitein Ireland10

Sports equipment vouchers, coupons

Promotion of www.nesquik-club.com in Russia

Clubs and societies

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53% wholegrain, high in fibre, low in saturated fat

Contains 77% wholegrain

Examples from Norway

Whole grain, high fibre, low fat

Example from Hong Kong

Helps education attainment

Example from US

Front-of-pack nutrition claims

Example from Spain. Source of Fibre. High contentof vitamins E, B1, B2, B9, B6, PP, B12 B5 & Fe

Vitamin claims:Added vitamins, essential vitamins andminerals, with iron, rich in calcium etc

Examples of methods used to reassure parents and carersParents and other carers are likely to be the main purchasers of these cereal products being sold as suitable for children.

Here we also list some of the methods used to make the product appealing to purchasers who may be concerned that

the product is not sufficiently beneficial to the children in their care. These examples come from a number of

companies, not just Nestl and Kellogg's.

Fat free, Low fat


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Energy

Example from Fiji

Lowers cholesterol

Example from US

Natural ingredients


No added colours, no added flavours,no artificial preservatives

Example from Ireland

Good for child growth, teeth, bones

Happy families

Example from South Korea

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Approved by parents

Example from South Korea

These examples reveal the wide range of strategies used

by companies to avoid and distract attention from any

negative aspects of the product, including its nutritional

values and its encouragement of a liking for highly

sweetened foods (and the routine consumption of cows

milk, which is a relatively recent and not necessarily

beneficial dietary change in many regions of the world).

We are aware of only one honourable example Coop

Honey Bees, from Norway where the product

packaging warned parents of the high levels of sugar

and advised varying the breakfast with other products

containing less sugar.

Off-pack promotionManufacturers have developed a wide range of methods

for promoting their products to children (and to their

parents and carers).

Television commercials have been used for many years,

and in some countries the use of TV advertising is

beginning to decline in favour of other approaches,

including Internet sites and direct marketing.

This section briefly considers the use of TV advertising

and Internet sites. It should be noted that sweetened

breakfast cereals are being promoted to children through

other activities, such as school classrooms and teachingactivities, and sports sponsorships for childrens junior

championships.

Teaching English or advertising cereals?In Malaysia, the New Straits Times newspaper and

Nestls KoKoKrunch organised the KoKo Smart Start

Camp for young children, which aimed to teach

children the importance of proper nutrition and to

improve their English language skills.

The event took place in primary schools, and

KoKoKrunchs mascot, KoKo was there to present

certificates, workbooks and KoKoKrunch boxes to

participants and winners. All participating students

were given a KoKoKrunch t-shirt.

Box 3:

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Television advertisements for unhealthy cereals aimed at children

Television advertisingSurveys of childrens cereal advertising were undertaken

during the month of April 2008, and involved monitoring

commercial television channels likely to be seen by

children and families for a week.

A single week may not be representative of the cereal

manufacturers usual pattern of advertising as the

promotional campaigns are not continuous. However,

several countries reported significant numbers of

advertising spots during the monitoring period. Details

of the content of the advertising are indicated in Table 7.

Number of adsrecorded inone week Advertising methods (examples)

Belgium 238 Children in ads. Child uses cereal hoop as ring Marry me, Mummy. Calcium and vitaminemphasis. Each breakfast is a big moment. Cartoon bear from pack wakes up boy inbed: Crispy chocolate cereal with milk: the best to wake-up.

Italy 195 Cartoon animals and children. Animal fantasy: rabbit gets into cereal box, but is pouredout into bowl. Happy ending. Attempts to retrieve cereal boxes from difficult situations,successful ending.

Netherlands 23 Cartoon children eating cereal. Fantasy animals with human faces. Product set in holytemple. Plot: action-tension-escape-resolution.

Spain 168 Fantasy adventure link to Indiana Jones movie. Plot: Action-search (for cereal treasure)-resolution. Fantasy adventure: ship in storm loses cargo of cereal, cartoon character (frombox) dives to rescue, resolution with all happy. Links to game on box.

Australia 138 Children in ads. Cartoon animals. Cartoon characters from box. Parents recommend

product. Link to prizes on website. Recipes using product. Use of sports celebrities. Freepedometer. Child walks to school while others watch from bus. Fuel up. Get you moving.

India Not given Children in ads. Mother in ads. Product shown as suitable after school and promoted asSnack for evenings. Cartoon child (an Indian god renowned for strength). Prize competitionfor iPod Shuffle. Sponsored link between Kelloggs and Vodaphone. Use of sibling rivalry togain parents affection. Use of multi-varieties to suit all family tastes. Use of cartoonanimals and jungle, chocolate river of milk. Election in which product gains 100,000 votes.Free Barbie dolls. Free Hot Wheels watches. Cartoon castle and animals to link cereal witpromotion of Indiana Jones film, and related free gifts.

Malaysia Not given Children in ads. Cartoon children in fantasy lands. Use of fantasy animals. Plot:Action-tension-escape-resolution. Fantasy cartoon explains nutritional goodness child in

the classroom solves questions on the blackboard, then plays football and scores a goal.Goodness of whole grain. The child likes the mother trusts.

South Korea Not given Mother and child share breakfast, share life. Health and nutrition; family values, delicioustaste increases happiness.

Thailand 33 Free gifts available. Music, catchy tunes. Product changes milk to chocolate milk. EnergyPower Nutritious Mother says Take a box to school. Implied better intelligence. Productshown in school trip to science museum as recommended for nutrition.

USA 135 Mother and child listening to cereal together. Child eating cereal while doing homeworkafter school. Child excels in classroom. Keep them full, keep them focussed. Animatedapples and spices race towards cereal bowl. Cartoon pirates in an ocean of honey. Children

smarter than adults: detective challenged by teens to see what's good inside cereal.Cartoons in forest use marshmallow-cereal power and magic to escape. Plot: action-escape-resolution. Free toy cars.

Table 7:

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WebsitesWebsite promotion of sweetened cereals is an integral

part of manufacturers promotional strategies and linked

to the current report in several ways. For example, packs

led purchasers to seek more nutritional information by

visiting websites, voucher and coupon give-aways on-

packs (such as swimming pool entry vouchers) were

further explained on websites, and most significantly,

children were encouraged to visit company websites for

entertainment, including games, puzzles, cartoons,

ringtones, and other rewards.

The exposure of children to the product branding during

their visits to such websites is more prolonged and

interactive than exposure to television advertisements,

and so likely to be far more influential on their attitudes

towards the product.

Websites are also likely to be accessed at times when

parents are not easily in control. Company websites did

not restrict access or require parental approval in order to

prevent young children gaining entry.

Here are a few of the many examples of company

websites used to attract children and promote the highly

sweetened cereal products discussed in this report.

Games for young children

Hong Kong:www.nestle.com.hk/tradch/club/Kids/Game/butterfly.html

USA: www.luckycharms.millsberry.com

Korea: www.kellogg.co.kr/product/chex/fun_3.asp

The exposure of children to productbranding on websites is

more prolonged and

interactive than exposure to

television advertisements.

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Prizes and memberships

Hong Kong: www.nestle.com.hk

Global: www.nesquik-club.com

USA: www.millsberry.com

Prizes and memberships

Norway/global: www.weetos.com/narnia

USA: www.kelloggs.com/promotions/indiana-jones

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Music

USA: www.reesespuffs.com

Linking sugary cereals to education

Spain: www.kelloggs.es

USA/Global:

www.frostedflakes.com/Kidzone/tracks.shtml

Linking sugary cereals to sport

Spain: www.kelloggs.es

UK: www.kelloggs.co.uk/whatson/swimming/free-swim.aspx

Information to guide healthy purchasesNutritional information was provided on the side or

rear panels of all products examined from Kelloggs,

all products examined from Nestl and from all products

examined from the third largest manufacturerPost (Kraft).

The details generally took the form that is required in

some countries and voluntary in others, which includes

sugars, saturated fats and salt, as well as energy, protein

and dietary fibre.

We believe that the best practice is to include all these

components, and urge manufacturers to maintain this

level of nutrition declaration.

There were inconsistencies in the form of the nutrition

declarations that were confusing to consumers. The

details were given according to a standard weight, but in

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some cases the weight was based on serving size

information which differed between different products

and between different countries (Table 8).

Information was often given on the nutritional value

with added milk. This practice is misleading if products

are not routinely consumed with milk, and also may implya spurious additional nutritional benefit from consuming

the product when the benefit is derived from the milk

and not the product.

The quantity of added milk was inconsistent between

products and between countries.

Generally the milk added was described as semi-skimmed

or half-fat, but this was not always the case.

We believe manufacturers are likely to mislead by

including details with arbitrary quantities of milk, and

milk of different qualities, and urge them to avoid this

practice. We believe that the best practice is to providedetails per standard amount in the form as sold such as

per 100 grams of dry product so that different varieties

can be quickly and easily compared.

Country Portion sizes Added milk amounts Added milk types

Belgium 30g, 35g, 40g 125ml Half-fat

Denmark 30g, 35g 125ml Half-fat

Italy 30g 125ml Fat-free, Half-fat, Full-fat

UK, Spain 30g 125ml Half-fat

Australia 30g 125ml Full-fat

Fiji Islands 30g, 31g, 35g 125ml, 1/2cup Not given

Hong Kong 30g, 33g, 35g, 40g 125ml, 200ml, 1/2cup Fat-free, Fortified fat-free, milk,fortified milk

India 30g, 40g 100ml, 120ml, 150ml Fat-free

USA 26g 59g Not given Fat-free

Variation in the provision of nutrition information on side or rear of boxHow the 13 varieties showed different portion sizes, added milk and type of milk, when declaring nutrient values.

Front-of-pack signallingAll major cereal manufacturers appear to have collaborat-

ed to use the GDA signalling system that indicates the

amounts of nutrients provided in a single portion as a

percentage of a guideline daily amount (GDA).

There are several problems with this approach including

the choice of GDA (some products used GDAs for adults,

some used GDAs for children, some invented new GDAs

see Table 9, page 30).

In addition, because of varying portion sizes used for

GDA signals, it may not be easy to compare different

products side by side. There is some standardisation, with

many companies proposing to use 30g as a standard

serving (despite evidence that the majority of consumers

take larger portions).

There were, however, considerable inconsistencies. For

example, in some countries the energy GDAs were given

in kilocalories, and in others in kilojoules.

The number and order of presentation of the signals was

inconsistent between countries, with products marketed

in Europe generally printing five signals and these were

sometimes in the order: energy, sugar, fat, saturated fat,

salt, and sometimes as: energy, fat, saturated fat, salt,

sugar, even from the same company in the same country.

Table 8:

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Reference for signals schemes used on productssold for childrenReference bases for consumer information showed

inconsistencies between countries

GDA reference

Spain Adult (2000 kcal), adult (1900 kcal) orno signals

Belgium Adult (2000 kcal), adult (1900 kcal),traffic light or no signals

Denmark, Switzerland, Adult (2000 kcal) or no signalsIndia, Brazil and others

UK Adult (2000kcal), child (1800kcal),traffic light or no signals.

Hong Kong Adult (2000kcal), child (1800kcal) orno signals.

USA Adult (2000 kcal), Sensible solutionor no signals.

30

Besides this problem, manufacturers were often adding

further non-standard signals for components such as

whole grains, fibre and various vitamins. Non-standard

additional GDAs were apparent in many countries, with

inconsistent patterns, with one box (in Fiji) showing a

total of 12 GDA signals.

In the USA there were generally four GDA signals, usually

in the order: energy, fat, salt, sugar but the sugar GDA

percentage value was missing as there is no agreement

on what the recommended amount should be.

We believe this approach is better for consumers and

provides a quicker and simpler method for making healthy

choices while shopping. We urge cereal manufacturers to

adopt the traffic light format for their products.

Lastly, we considered the reference values being used by

companies for these products. Many of these products

are specifically marketed towards younger children,

whose energy needs are lower than those for older

adolescents and adults. It is generally accepted that

children under age 6 need an average of 1400-1550 kcal

per day, and aged under 10 some 1800 kcal per day.

Manufacturers prefer to use adult figures, as the

percentage contribution of the product is lower, implying

that more can be eaten in the daily diet. Adult salt, sugar

and fat levels are higher, so again the percentage

contribution of the cereal appears lower. We found

variation and inconsistency across different countries.

Manufacturers prefer to use adult figures,

as the percentage contribution of the

product is lower, implying that more

can be eaten in the daily diet.

There is concern that some shoppers may misinterpret

the GDAs for sugar and salt as being recommended

amounts that should be consumed in a day rather than

amounts that should not be exceeded and should

preferably be avoided. Furthermore, not all purchasers

are sufficiently numerate to make use of the information

one study suggests that 40% of adults in the UK

would find it hard to interpret the percentages given on

the GDA signals.

In contrast the UK Food Standards Agency is promoting

the use of a traffic light signalling scheme, whichprovides red, amber and green signals for fat, saturated

fat, sugar and salt according to the percentage in the dry

product. This scheme has been adopted voluntarily by

several manufacturers in the UK, including some retailers

with their own label cereal products, and also by one

retailer in Belgium.

Table 9:

Marketing tactics

Missing GDA information

No guidance on sugar intakes with US GDA signals onthis pack of Kelloggs Frosted Flakes sold in the US


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The Nutrient Criteria are standards based on a broad

review of scientific reports. Specifically, the Nutrient

Criteria set an upper threshold per serving of 200

calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, labeled 0 grams of

trans fat, 230 milligrams of sodium and labeled 12

grams of sugar. The percentages are based on a typical

2,000 calorie daily diet.

Wherever possible, and subject to our existing contractual

obligations, implementation of Kellogg commitments will

begin immediately. Full implementation of all

commitments will be completed by the end of 2008.

Product ImpactAlmost 50 percent of current formulations of Kellogg

products currently marketed to children worldwide do

not meet the Criteria and will either be reformulated to

meet the Nutrient Criteria or will no longer be marketedto children under 12.

Examples of Kellogg foods in the U.S. that do not meet

the Nutrient Criteria include current versions of

Kelloggs Pop-Tarts, Kelloggs Froot Loops and

Kelloggs Apple Jacks.

Commitment to Responsible MarketingKellogg follows existing internal Worldwide Marketing

and Communication Guidelines, which reflect the

companys commitment to fair and responsible

advertising and govern the global marketing efforts to

consumers, including children. The actions Kellogg

Company is taking build on these Marketing Guidelines,

which already include principles such as:

No advertising to children under 6

Promoting appropriate levels of consumption

Portraying safe activity, exercise

Now Kellogg is enhancing the Guidelines to reflect its

new commitments, including:

Advertising on TV, print, radio and third-party Internet

media directed primarily to children under 12 only

products that meet the Nutrient Criteria.

Making content changes on all child-directed Web

sites, including session time limits, limits on interactive

games/activities based on the Nutrient Criteria and

incorporating healthy lifestyle messaging.

Limiting licensed character use in ads, Web sites, food

forms and on front-of-pack for foods that do not meet

the Nutrient Criteria.

No product placement in any medium designed toappeal to children under 12.

Using celebrity spokespersons, viral marketing, branded

toys and games directed to children under 12 only if

the product meets the Nutrient Criteria.

Not advertising to children in elementary and preschool

settings.

The Nutrient Criteria-based marketing initiative isconsistent with our 100-year heritage. It further

strengthens our commitment to helping consumers make

informed food choices and sets a new standard of

responsibility.

Kellogg Company actively funds and partners with

organizations, health agencies and governments around

the world to communicate the importance of a balanced

diet and physical activity.

The Nutrient Criteria will also guide targeted future

innovation and product development. Over time, KelloggCompany will work toward providing consumers even

more product choices with enhanced nutritional value, as

well as continuing to emphasize nutrition and healthy

lifestyles in its marketing to children.

Kellogg is a founding member of the Childrens Food and

Beverage Advertising Initiative in the U.S. and the

Advertising Standards of Canada and Concerned

Children's Advertisers in Canada. Many of the

commitments above will also be expressed as part of

those programs.

NestleThis information is available on Nestles website14.

Responsible advertising to children has always been part

of Nestl's Consumer Communication Principles.

They are aimed at encouraging moderation, healthy

dietary habits and physical activity without undermining

the authority of parents or creating unrealistic

expectations of popularity or success. They also ensurethat we do not create difficulty in distinguishing real from

imaginary or create a sense of urgency.

In light of the rising concerns about child obesity, Nestl

strengthened its Principles in July 2007 by adding two

important provisions:

no advertising or marketing activity is to be directed at

children under 6 years

advertising for children from 6 to 12 years must be

restricted to products with a nutritional profile that

helps children achieve a healthy balanced diet,including clear limits for such ingredients as sugar, salt

and fat.

32 What the companies say


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33

These will be fully implemented in all countries by the

end of 2008 and subject to monitoring.

The Consumer Communications Principles are required

reference points for all marketing staff and advertising

agencies globally, and must be used when developing our

consumer communication. All marketing campaigns arereviewed and are checked through an internal monitoring

process in each market to ensure compliance with the

Principles.

Additionally, Nestl participates in industry initiatives

aimed at furthering responsible advertising. These include

the pledges discussed below and a Europe-wide initiative,

started in 2005, which assesses companies compliance

with industry-wide Codes of Conduct for Food and

Beverages Marketing Communications. This has provided

a useful tool for Nestl to receive feedback on itsadvertising and maintain high standards of compliance.

What the companies say


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CI believes that many parents will be shocked by the

results of this survey given the healthy image that

breakfast cereals have long held and rightly so. In

countries around the world breakfast cereals that are

heavily promoted to children contain levels of added

sugar and salt that are shockingly high.

This study has revealed that some breakfast cereals

promoted to children contain more sugar than an iced

doughnut. But added sugar is not the only concern; in an

effort to reduce added sugar, companies have added

unacceptable levels of salt. Some products were found to

be a salty as seawater.

Claims that high sugar or salt levels are in some way a

response to cultural tastes have also been disproved by

this report. The study showed no pattern where by only

high sugar or high salt products were sold in particular

countries. Consumers in countries that had varieties with

some of the highest sugar levels were also purchasing

products with much lower levels; this demonstrates that

there appears to be no cultural reason to prevent the

introduction and promotion of healthier cereals forchildren.

Despite the unhealthy nature of these products Kelloggs

and Nestl are using a wide range of marketing

techniques to make them as attractive as possible to

children. From the cartoon characters, celebrities and film

tie-ins on the packaging to the TV adverts and websites

the companies are using every trick in the book. Some

marketing also seeks to reassure parents by extolling the

nutritional virtues of the product or portraying images of

happy family life.

Kelloggs and Nestl were even found wanting in the

nutritional labelling that they provide on their packages.

Serving sizes varied and often underestimated how much

of a product a consumer actually eats. Milk of varying

quantities and types was sometimes included in the

measurement. A percentage of GDA was also used in

some cases, although this has sometimes been criticised

as being difficult for consumers to understand.

CI expects all food companies to provide clear nutritional

labelling on packaging, such as high, medium and low

colour coded criteria per 100g.

The food industrys responseThere is no doubt that increased consumer concern, and

pressure for regulatory action, is beginning to influence

the industry, but the response is woefully slow and half-

hearted. Only in the last 18 months have some

companies in the industry announced pledges to reduce

the marketing of certain products to children. But even

these companies will not implement these pledges

globally until 2009.

The commitments themselves also fall short of what is

required. The companies involved are only committing

themselves to reduce marketing to children under 12.

Teenagers who are in many ways more susceptible to

advertising pressure and who are still forming opinions

about what constitutes an appropriate diet will still be

exposed to marketing pressures. The pledges also make

no commitments in relation to the use of companies

own brand cartoon characters. This is particularly relevant

for breakfast cereal manufacturers Kelloggs and Nestl. It

appears that Tony the Tiger and Coco the Monkey will

continue to appear on Frosties and Coco Pops packets

despite their obvious appeal to children under 12. This

makes a mockery of any commitment to stop marketing

to children.

34 Conclusions and recommendations

Conclusions andrecommendations


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35

Finally these commitments only relate to the companies

that have signed up to them. Whilst some large

companies are involved, many others are not. If these

multinationals are genuinely committed to stopping the

marketing of food high in fat, sugar and salt to children

they should support regulatory action that will apply to

the whole industry.

The need for government actionThere are two clear arguments for governments to take

action against the marketing of unhealthy food to

children.

First governments have a duty to protect vulnerable

consumers. Currently food companies are encouraging

children to eat unhealthy foods that are high in fat, sugar

and salt. The long-term consequences for them as

individuals could be the development of unhealthy eating

habits and the development of non-communicable

diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and somecancers. The marketing techniques used by Kelloggs and

Nestl, as well as others in the food industry, are multiple

and often sophisticated and children are not easily able to

defend themselves against them.

Governments should also look to the long-term health of

their populations. The obesity pandemic is a serious

threat to the health of their citizens and to the national

health budget. Whilst tackling the pandemic requires a

strategy involving several elements, one of these should

be stopping the marketing of unhealthy food to children.

Without action in this area, positive messages about a

healthy diet will always be competing against the multi-

billion dollar advertising budget of the food industry.

The need for an international codeThe evidence from this report further highlights the need

for an international code on the marketing of food to

children. National governments need support and

guidance from the WHO in responding to what is now

widely recognised as an urgent health issue.

An international code will also provide a clear benchmark

by which to judge companies marketing practices.

The Recommendations for an international code

prepared by CI and the IOTF provide a model framework

on how this can work. It would provide protection from

advertising of products high in fat, sugar and/or salt for

children up to 16 years old and would include:

A ban on radio or TV adverts promoting unhealthy

food between 06.00 and 21.00.

No marketing of unhealthy food to children using new

media (such as websites, social networking sites andtext messaging).

No promotion of unhealthy food in schools.

No inclusion of free gifts, toys or collectible items,

which appeal to children to promote unhealthy foods.

No use of celebrities, cartoon characters, competitions

or free gifts to market unhealthy food.

RecommendationsCI believes that all children up to the age of 16 years oldshould be protected from marketing of unhealthy food

and drink through a global standard based on the

Recommendations prepared by CI and the IOTF.

In particular, the following marketing techniques should

not be allowed to promote food high in fat, sugar and/or

salt:

1. Advertising or promotion that directly appeals to

children, including the:

Use of celebrities

Use of cartoon characters, including brand owned and

licensed

Inclusion of free gifts, toys or collectible items

Inclusion of competitions, vouchers or games

Shape or novelty value of the food or food packaging

2. Advertising or promotion in places children visit

frequently, which includes:

Nurseries, pre-school centres, schools and school

grounds

Conclusions and recommendations

Positive messages about a healthy diet

will always be competing against the

multi-billion dollar advertising

budget of the food industry.

Governments have a duty to protect

vulnerable consumers.


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Childrens clubs, centres, playgrounds and sports halls

Family and child clinics and paediatric services

3. Advertising that targets parents or carers:

No indirect advertising to parents or other adults caringfor children such as other family members, child carers,

teachers, health workers. This includes suggesting that

a parent or adult who purchases such a food or

beverage for a child is a better, more intelligent or a

more generous parent or adult than one who does not

do so, or that their child when fed these products will

be more intelligent and gifted.

Consumers International calls on:The World Health Organization To develop an international code to restrict the

marketing of food to children based on the CI/IOTF

Code.

Report on and monitor compliance with the

international Code.

National governments To give their support to the development of an

international code on the marketing of food to

children.

To implement national legislation based on the

international Code to restrict the marketing of food tochildren.

To monitor misleading labelling and implement a

mandatory, coherent and transparent labelling system

such as the traffic light system.

Multinational food and beverage companies To voluntarily comply with all the provisions in the CI

Code.

To adopt a consistent global approach and ensure that

all internal policies on advertising and nutrition areimplemented to the same standard in all countries.

To use their creativity and breadth of marketing

techniques to encourage children to make healthy food

choices.

36 Conclusions and recommendations


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37Endnotes

Endnotes1 Some Nestl products were produced by Cereal Partners, a joint venture between Nestl and General Mills.

2 The CI and IOTF Recommendations for an International Code on Marketing of Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages

to Children is available to download at www.junkfoodgeneration.org

3 Crain Communications. 1st Century Global Marketers. Part 1 Global Ad Spending by Marketer. Ad Age, November

2007. http://adage.com/datacenter

4 World Health Organization. Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health. GSDPAH, 46(3), WHA 2004 A57/9.

World Health Assembly, Geneva, May 2004.

5

Ibid, Para 40 (3)

6 UK Food Standards Agency. Front-of-pack Traffic light signpost labelling. Technical Guidance, Issue 2, November

2007. http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/frontofpackguidance2.pdf

7 Product data from United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service

(http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/) and leading brands sold in UK supermarkets

(http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/), both accessed September 2008.

8 The all-salt content of seawater is about 3.5%, however this figure incorporates a number of different salts. To find

the percentage of sodium chloride (or table salt, the sort of salt we have in food) it is necessary to look at the level

of sodium in seawater. Sodium is approximately 1% of seawater, which is equivalent to 2.5% sodium chloride.

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8p.html

9 See endnote 7.

10 http://www.kelloggs.ie/whatson/swimming/free-swim.aspx

11 http://www.nestle.com/Resource.axd?Id=AB07212C-14E2-4945-AFF4-7B1B1D0569AE

12 For example the Canadian pledge, the EU pledge, the Thai pledge and the US pledge.

13 http://www.kelloggcompany.com/commitments.aspx?id=713

14 http://www.nestle.com/SharedValueCSR/ProductsAndConsumers/MarketingandCommunications/

MarketingAndAdvertising.htm


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Also from the Junk Food Generation Campaign:

The Junk Food Trap - Marketing unhealthy food to children in Asia Pacific

The Junk Food Trap, a new report by Consumers International, reveals the lengths

international brands such as Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, KFC, McDonald's, PepsiCo and Nestlgo to when marketing unhealthy food to children in Asia Pacific.

Available to download at www.consumersinternational.org


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Find out more about Consumers Internationals

Consumers International

24 Highbury Crescent

London N5 1RX, UK

email: [email protected]

www.consumersinternational.org

Cereal Offences

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