A Need For More Responsible Food Marketing

Marketing professionals have an impact on consumers’ quality of life by shaping either positive or negative eating habits. The market is oversaturated with products that are harmful to our health in more ways than one. Many of these products are flying off the shelves due to sticky advertising.

According to Dr. Daniel Amer, “The real weapons of mass destruction are highly processed, pesticide-sprayed, high-glycemic, low-fiber food-like substances in plastic containers.” Research shows that 70.2% of Americans are either overweight or obese.

Marketers contribute to the current health epidemic by dressing up harmful food products through attractive packaging and driving awareness and trial through advertising, sponsorships, gamification and more.

Kids and adults alike are exposed to bad food options as part of their daily lifestyles. Sugary drinks and processed foods are pumped with artificial ingredients while being devoid of nutritional value. These products are everywhere we look — vending machines located in offices, shopping centers and even health care facilities.

Summary: Recently, there has been an increase in global childhood overweight and obesity. This situation can be attributed to the increase in marketing of poor nutrient food and beverages that contribute to poor health. Food marketing targeting children has been found to use self-report by the company, reporting by parent or third party observation of the child’s environment with the main focus being on a single setting such as the media. The article, therefore, attempts to examine the type of food marketing across different platforms that children are exposed to on a daily basis and the possible impact on their health. 
 https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/02/25/a-need-for-more-responsible-food-marketing/#ad77cbc1fd34