FTC reanalyzing food industry’s marketing to kids

The FTC has said that the data will form the basis of a follow-up to its 2008 report entitled “Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities, and Self-Regulation” . For that report, 44 companies were questioned about marketing activities targeting children in 2006, and now the FTC has ordered 48 companies to provide comprehensive information on the marketing of their products during 2009. It is expected that the follow-up report will reflect nutritional changes that have taken place since the instigation of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative run by the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), which was set up in 2006, “aimed at shifting the mix of advertising messaging directed to children under 12 to encourage healthier dietary choices and healthy lifestyles.” The information required by the FTC includes whether the companies participate in promotional schemes that designate some products as healthier than others; the advertising media they use; other promotional activities; specific details about language used; the product categories in which the companies are active; and nutritional content of foods marketed to younger consumers. The companies have been given 90 days to detail their marketing practices. The FTC has said that compiling the information for its new report will take a maximum of three years to complete. Sixteen major food and beverage companies including Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, Hershey, Mars, Kraft, Nestlé and Unilever, currently take part in the CBBB initiative. The 48 companies that have been required to provide information to the FTC are listed below. 1. Boskovich Farms Inc. 2. Burger King Holdings Inc. 3. California Giant, Inc. 4. Campbell Soup Company 5. CEC Entertainment, Inc. 6. Chiquita Brands International, Inc. 7. The Coca-Cola Company 8. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated 9. Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. 10. ConAgra Foods, Inc. 11. Dairy Management Inc. 12. Danone Foods Inc. 13. Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc. 14. Doctor’s Associates Inc. 15. Dole Food Company, Inc. 16. Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. 17. Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 18. General Mills, Inc. 19. Grimmway Enterprises Inc. 20. Hansen Natural Corporation 21. The Hershey Company 22. Hinkle Produce 23. Hostess Brands, Inc. 24. Imagination Farms, LLC 25. Kellogg Company 26. Kraft Foods Inc. 27. LGS Specialty Sales Ltd. 28. Mars, Incorporated 29. McDonald’s Corporation 30. McKee Foods Corporation 31. National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board 32. Nestlé USA, Inc. 33. PepsiCo, Inc. 34. Perfetti Van Melle USA, Inc. 35. The Procter & Gamble Company 36. Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. 37. Ready Pac Produce, Inc. 38. Red Bull North America, Inc. 39. Rockstar Inc. 40. Sonic Corporation 41. Stemilt Growers, Inc. 42. Summeripe Worldwide Inc. 43. Sunkist Growers, Inc. 44. Sunny Delight Beverages Co. 45. The Topps Company, Inc. 46. Unilever United States, Inc. 47. Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc. 48. YUM! Brands, Inc.

FTC reanalyzing food industry’s marketing to kids

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is again requiring companies to disclose information about how they market their products to children and adolescents, the agency has said.

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