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Bright,
busy cereal boxes on low shelves promise plastic movie heroes.
Friendly, familiar TV characters invite youngsters to “supersize.”
Food advertising is hardly new, but these days,
peddling foods to kids is a $13 billion a year business!
No surprise: Few of the 11,000 food ads youngsters see each
year pitch healthful fare. In fact, 80 percent of all food
ads hype sugary cereals and soft drinks, fatty fast food,
or salty snacks. Only two percent feature fruits, vegetables,
grains, or beans. Can you recall when you last saw
an ad for broccoli? (The ads we do see promoting
produce often come from the federal Five A Day campaign,
which has a minuscule budget relative to that of the snack
food industry.)
It’s
not just cute cartoons that vie for youngsters’ attention.
A sophisticated blend of marketing – themes of fun and fantasy,
movie and video game tie-ins, kids’ clubs, and more – entice
them to opt for foods poor in nutrition. But we think
that students can figure out the “sell” and, with support,
become advertising-savvy consumers. This means asking important
questions about what they read, see, and hear. What tricks
do marketers use to grab my attention? How do they want me
to feel about the food? Does the scene on the box front fit
the nutritional reality?
As students dig in to food ads and packages, and learn to
keep their critical eyes peeled, they can begin to evaluate
how the pitch affects their choices. Once they do this –
and then practice promoting their own garden fare or nourishing
edibles – they will be more likely to opt for healthful foods.
Read on.
Featured
Stories and Activities
Laying
the Groundwork: Taking Stock of Advertised Foods - This
introductory inquiry illuminates how companies market to
kids through food ads.
Persuasion:
It's All in the Packaging - Students identify
and assess the truthfulness of marketing strategies
employed by cereal companies.
Peddling
Garden Produce - This culminating activity
puts kids' newfound advertising savvy to work to
promote fruit and veggies to the school community.
Nutritious
Business Reaps Rewards - Primary students learn
nutrition concepts and share their passions, produce,
and more with the community via a weekly school
farmers' market.
Aromatic
Entrepreneurs - How an herb growing project blossomed
into a year-long, business venture featuring lessons
in plant needs, hydroponics, economics, marketing,
and cuisine.
Young
Entrepreneurs Grow Nutritious Business - Middle
schoolers spread the word about healthful foods
and learn a few business skills as they grow –
and peddle – their own sprouts.
Cultivating
Nutrition Awareness - Kids eat up garden-focused
nutrition lessons and make healthy food choices.
Part 3: Got
Nutrition?
© 2008
National Gardening Association