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Impact of media and advertising on eating habits
The Effects Of Television Advertising On Food Choices
The Effects Of Television Advertising On Food Choices
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Advertisements have radically changed over the years, and in turn societies eating habits have changed. With the growing availability of technological advancements, marketing companies can now skillfully target specific groups into buying their product. These marketing approaches have become so successful that they are preserving the unhealthy trends that occur in consumerism today, which is why it is essential that we are fully aware of their marketing tactics, their negative impacts on society, and potential solutions to aid in the healthy consumerism of food products.
I. How marketing techniques have evolved over time in the food industry.
A. The first tactics of marketing.
1. Marketing was very general due to the lack of technology.
2. The four main tactics of marketing in the food industry involved selling, buying, and transporting.
B. The mid 1900’s brought the initiation of a buyers market due to the increase of competition, consumerism, and money.
1. Food suppliers began to come up with ideas in order to stimulate sales, and in turn enable them to keep-up with or exceed their competitors.
2. This eagerness to excel beyond competitors lead to gradual advancements in technology, thus allowing for there to be a new emphasis on the consumerism in the food industry.
C. Food advertisements during the WWII era were changing the face of the game completely.
1. Advertisements were now targeting specific demographics, mainly women because they were the ones buying the food and cooking for their families.
2. Technology advancements allowed for food companies to place advertisements in newspapers and on the radio.
D. Present day food advertisement techniques.
1. There are now...
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...rders, which are influenced by the media’s perception of “fat” and the negative stereotypes that come with being overweight.
V. Solutions to the problem produced by advertisements.
A. Education
1. Parents should be better educated in nutrition and in reading nutritional labels so that they can buy healthier products and cook healthier meals for their children.
2. Require freshman college students to take a course on nutrition and the negative affects of certain foods and drinks, especially when combining various drinks with alcohol.
B. Place stricter restrictions on marketing companies in order to reduce the consumption of junk foods.
1. Reduce the amount of advertisements on child television channels.
2. There should be penalties and incentives for marketing companies so that they are more inclined to promote healthier foods.
This is an increasingly concerning factor in the growing national epidemic of obesity. Adverts often mask foods that are unhealthy by emphasising their positive nutritional features – such as dietary fibre and protein. While at the same time ignoring its negative features – including the high amounts of saturated fat and sugar content. In some cases, even products that mention any alleged health benefits are usually outweighed by the health risks associated with consuming the product, that they just fail to mention. In summary, big businesses are using recurring and manipulative persuasive techniques on vulnerable consumers to try to convey the false message of health and nutrition in products when they are in fact more harmful than helpful.
Companies nowadays are using different and strong methods in marketing their food products. The Companies are very competitive, and the results can affect the people. When we think about this job field, it is convincing that those producers should use cleverly ways to gain their own living. In the other side they shouldn’t use misleading ways that could harm the people. Food companies should be straightforward with every marketing method they use. People have the right to know what they are consuming and also to know the effects of these products on them, whether it is harmful, useful, or even neutral.
of Philip Morris, said “People could point to these things and say, ‘They’ve got too much sugar, they’ve got too much salt […] well, that’s what the consumer wants, and we’re not putting a gun to their head to eat it. That’s what they want.” (Moss 267) However, consumers are being unconsciously forced to fund food industries that produce junk food. Companies devote much of their time and effort into manipulating us to purchase their products. For instance, Kraft’s first Lunchables campaign aimed for an audience of mothers who had far too much to do to make time to put together their own lunch for their kids. Then, they steered their advertisements to target an even more vulnerable pool of people; kids. This reeled in even more consumers because it allowed kids to be in control of what they wanted to eat, as Bob Eckert, the C.E.O. of Kraft in 1999, said, “Lunchables aren’t about lunch. It’s about kids being able to put together what they want to eat, anytime, anywhere” (Moss 268). While parents are innocently purchasing Lunchables to save time or to satisfy the wishes of their children, companies are formulating more deceiving marketing plans, further studying the psychology of customers, and conducting an excessive quantity of charts and graphs to produce a new and addictive
Due to false advertising, I feel that certain food companies are being careless in trying to make people buy their products in order to make money in the quickest way possible. My only suggestions for this situation are either the companies to tell the truth about their products, or stop advertising completely. If the companies could spend more time researching the effects of their products, then they could make improvements to their foods or maybe find alternatives to the ingredients. That way people can make the right decisions in buying what is best for them and their children. Thank you for your time.
In the article, Every Nook and Cranny: The Dangerous Spread of Commercialized Culture by Gary Ruskin and Juliet Schor (Ackley 361). Since the early 90s is when Commercialism has bombarded the society. Ruskin and Schor provide examples why advertising has an effect on people’s health. Marketing related diseases afflicting people in the United States, and especially children, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and smoking-related illnesses. “Each day, about 2,000 U.S. children begin to smoke, and about one-third of them will die from tobacco-related illnesses” (Ackley 366). Children are inundated with advertising for high calorie junk food and fast food, and, predictably, 15 percent of U.S. children aged 6 to 19 are now overweight (Ackley 366). Commercialism promotes future negative effects and consumers don’t realize it.
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Nutritionism and Today’s Diet Nutritionism is the ideology that the nutritional value of a food is the sum of all its individual nutrients, vitamins, and other components. In the book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan, he critiques scientists and government recommendations about their nutritional advice. Pollan presents a strong case pointing out the many flaws and problems that have risen over the years of following scientific studies and government related warnings on the proper amount of nutrients needed for a healthy diet. Pollan’s main point is introducing science into our food system has had more of a negative impact than a positive one, we should go back to eating more of a traditional diet. I believe food science has given us
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T., Kraak, V. I., 2005, p.153). The book will be used in the sections where food industry and advertising could change their marketing toward healthy choices to help reducing and preventing
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Powell LM, Schermbeck RM, Szczypka G, Chaloupka FJ, Braunschweig CL. Trends in the Nutritional Content of Television Food Advertisements Seen by Children in the United States: Analyses by Age, Food Categories, and Companies. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2011;165(12):1078-1086. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.131.
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