Memorandum

TO:

Elected- President Donald Trump

FROM:

Van Mai

DATE:

November 18, 2016

SUBJECT: Junk Food and Beverage Advertising Contributes to Increasing Childhood Obesity
Introduction
The commercial promotion of junk food and beverages to children is a major contributor to
childhood obesity and chronic disease (WHO, 2006). Advertisers spend $15 billion each year in
the US to promote their foods and drinks to youth. Thus, children were exposed to these
products through event sponsorship, outdoor-advertising, magazines, at point of sale in retail
environments, televisions, radio, on the Internet, social media, games and mobile devices
(Boyland and Whale, 2015). On average, children in the US view one food commercial for every
5 minutes they watched television. 34.3% of U.S. children and teens between the ages of 2 and
19 consume fast food a day. 12.1% of these children get more than 40% of their daily calories
(Kaplan 2015) The FDA estimates the average American eats 4.7 pounds of trans fats each year
(The Associated Press and Reuters, 2006).
Many studies have showed that advertising target on children by marketers increases
consumption of calories, fat and sugar in one of the major causes of obesity. A number of
numbers of countries such as Quebec, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, ,
Chile and Taiwan banned junk food advertising targeting children (Rossen & Rossen, 2012). In
the US, however, the advertising industry maintains self-regulatory policies established by the
Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the National Council of Better Business
Bureaus. CARU's guidelines apply to all forms of children's advertising, but it has no legal
authority over advertisers and can only seek voluntary compliance (Advertising Educational
Foundation, nd.)
Background
In 1990, The Children's Television Act was passed and remains in effect today. The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) interpreted and enforced regulations to the networks, local
broadcasters and cable operators. The bill limited to 10.5 minutes per hour on weekends and 12
minutes per hour on weekdays during airing programming for children under 12 years old. The
FCC also ruled that a program based on a toy or children's product cannot contain advertising for
that product within the program.
June 2004, Senator Tom Harkin introduced a broad bill to Iowa State and local courts on issue of
food marketing and obesity but the bill was not pass.

A few states and cities have attempted to reduce fast food consumption in children. Los Angeles
banned new fast-food restaurants in southern area in 2008. New York banned restaurants from
using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats since 2008. In 2002, Oakland, California
school district banned all school sales of soda and candy and Los Angeles unified school district.
The majority of US schools and states do not have any policies about commercial marketing
activities in schools. Local school boards have the authority to make policy decisions about
commercial activities to bring in revenues and supporting materials into school.
In 2010, The USDA banned selling junk foods in schools, including from cafeterias and vending
machines. The ban was a provision of the politically popular Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, as a
result of Michelle Obama's campaign to end childhood obesity. Vending machines are only
allowed to sell fruit, dairy products, whole-grain foods, lean-protein products or vegetable items
that content fewer than 200 calories for snacks and 350 calories for entrees. Schools cant sell
anything besides water, low-fat and no-fat milk, and 100 percent fruit or vegetable juices.
Elementary students can only purchase 8-ounce sizes in juice and older students can get no larger
12 ounces of juice (Chumley, 2014)
Food advertising on television has a powerful influence on children food consuming. In a study
about consumption behaviors, children were given snack during watching television. They found
that those watched food advertising consumed 45% more of the snack than those who watched
the non-food advertising (Harris, Bargh & Brownell, 2009). One of the reasons marketers target
on children because kids have limited cognitive abilities and often assume that the food products
advertised on television are part of a healthy diet. They use images of attractive models eating,
favorites animation characters, positive emotions to target kids because of their spending power,
purchasing influence, and potential future adult consumers (Termini, Roberto & Hostetter, 2011)
Estimably, US adolescents spend $140 billion of their own money a year; under 12 year children
spend another $25 billion, and they may influence another $200 billion of spending per year
(Story & French, 2004). In 1960s, MC Donald sponsored Bozos Circus, a children show made
Ronal McDonald identifiable by 96% of American children, only second to Santa Claus (Smith,
2006). McDonalds popular Happy meals encourage repeated purchasing by giving toy to
children with each purchase. At the moment burger king is offer a collection of 6 DreamWorks
Dragons toys, a popular American computer-animated television series on Netflix, on its website
and restaurants. One toy is given with a purchase of a King Jr meal. Marketers also pack toys
with their products (cereals, candy packages) to encourage children to have pressure purchase on
their parents.
In addition, fast food and soft drink companies also target children and adolescents at school.
According to the US national School Health Policies and Programs Study in 2000, students could
purchase soft drinks, sports drinks, or fruit drinks vending machines, school stores, or snack bar
in 58% of elementary schools, 83% of middle schools, and 94% of high schools. In 2009,
companies spent $150 million marketing foods and beverages in elementary, middle, and high
school (Federal Trade Commission, 2012). Moreover, students are also exposure to soft drink,

fast food, or snack food with logos on athletic scoreboards, sponsorship banners in gyms, ads in
school newspapers and yearbooks, free textbook covers with ads, and screen-saver ads on school
computers. They also receive rewards with free pizza for reading a required number of books in
element school and McDonald's McSpellit Club coupons for free hamburgers, cheeseburgers, or
Chicken McNuggets for perfect scores on spelling tests (Story & French, 2004).
Obesity in America has been growing dramatically. Obesity now affects 1 in 6 children and
adolescents in the United States. Childhood obesity doubled in children and quadrupled in
adolescents in the past 30 years. More than 1 in 3 children and adolescents was overweight or
obese (CDC, 2016).
Children and adolescents who are obese are at increased risk of suffering many psychological
and medical issues such as low self-esteem due to poor self-image, bullying, social isolation
cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic inflammation, orthopaedic abnormalities, liver disease,
and diabetes. In addition, they tend to become obese and face many health problems such
cardiovascular disease, mental disorders, infectious disease, diabetes, bone diseases (Boyland &
Whalen, 2015).
Obesity will directly and indirectly cost our country a lot of money on healthcare, loss of
productivity, disability, and increase mortality (Grieve et al, 2013). The hospital costs for obese
children increased from $125.9 million to $237.6 million between 2001 and 2005 (Trasande,
2009). In 2008, obesity and obesity-related illnesses cost $147 billion in the United States
(Franck, Grandi & Eisenberg, 2013). Obesity-attributable absenteeism costs the United States an
estimate of $3.38 billion. The costs related to life insurance in obese people were about 10 times
larger than non-obese individuals ($30 billion vs. $2.53 billion) and worker compensate is 20%
greater. Early retirement of these individuals cost the US $65.67 billion (Trogdon, at al, 2008)
Possible Policy Solutions
Childhood obesity is multi-factorial problem; a decrease in food advertising targeting kids is one
of the vital approaches for this problem. To achieve this goal, the government must have stronger
legislation on food advertising to children. This includes banning fast food and soft drinks
advertising on child-targeted television program or movies, eliminating food advertising funding
as business expenses that reduce taxable corporate income, and increase tax on fast food and
decrease taxes on nutritious items, soft drink and high fat or high sugar snacks, restriction of fast
food and soft drink advertising in schools in multiple media, banning offering toys with
unhealthy meals or cereal and snack packages.
As stated above, fast food and soft drink advertising on television has a strong influence on
children consumption because children have limited cognitive abilities to distinguish healthy
verse unhealthy food. A study published in the University of Chicago Journal of Law and
Economics concluded that a complete ban on fast food advertising on television alone would
reduce 18% of overweight children aged three to eleven and 14% of overweight adolescents aged

1218 (Chou, Rasha d& Grossman, 2008). Advertising on television restriction should eliminate
unhealthy products advertising airing during programs and movies for children under 17 years
old.
Companies have been able to claim tax deduction on advertising as business expense. Policies
that eliminate tax deduction on advertising limit amount of funding company spend on
advertising. This will reduce 33%-40% of numbers of seen by children and adolescents Chou,
Rasha d& Grossman, 2008).
Tax policies should be establish to increase tax on any foods or drinks composed of more than
30% fat or 40% sugar or non essential snacks such as candy, chewing gum, chips, pretzels, ice
cream, popsicles, milk- shakes, and baked goods and reduce tax on healthy products. This
method could target multiple problems. First of all, it will encourage companies to use fewer
unhealthy addictive and increase production of more healthy products. In additions, it also cause
increase price in products, which will reduce purchase of these unhealthy items (Rossen
&Rossen, 2012).
Policy restricting on fast food and soft drink advertising in schools will limit children exposure
to these products. In addition, restrictions on selling advertising space on school buses,
scoreboards, book covers or offering free samples or coupons are also needed.
Banning offering toys with unhealthy meals is a must. As stated earlier, offering toys with meals
at fast food restaurant encourages children to eat or pressure their parents to purchase fast foods.
Thus, government should take control in this aspect and only approve restaurants to pair toy with
a healthy balance diet meal, which contains certain amount of fresh fruits, vegetable and whole
gain, limited amount of fat and sugar.
Opponents to any above policy regulation, restriction, or ban are fast food and soft drink
companies, fast food restaurants, TV shows and movies producers, broadcasting companies and
schools. Marketing companies will argue that their foods are healthy and obesity in children
cause by others factor such as genes and physical inactivity. TV shows and movies producers
will oppose to tougher restriction food advertising for children for decreasing amount financial
support from industry companies will decline in children favorite shows productions. School
will lose avenues and sponsorships for sport events or programs and study materials. As a result,
students will be limited assess to sport programs or have to pay a higher price to participate in a
program. An example was Seattle high schools made $214,000 a year in profits from vending
machines prior to the ban and only made $17,000 after the ban (Rosenthal, 2011).
Agencies in support of restrictions and ban on fast food advertising and taxes include parents,
American Obesity Association, the World Health Organization, American Nutrition Association,
American Diabetes Association American Cancer Society, American Heart Association,
American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, Centers for Disease
Control, and the Food and Drug Administration, and food advocates.

Recommended Solutions
Food and drink advertising target on children is significant public health concern. It has
significant influenced children consuming extra calories, which is one of the contributions to
childhood obesity. Government needs to protect public health with a stronger regulation of food
advertising to grants the FTC and FDA the authority to regulate childrens food and beverage
advertising through Children's Television Act. Case law, such as Viacom and Disney v. FCC in
2004 which Viacom and Disney together paid $1.5 million in fines for violated Children's
Television Act will further supports the need for regulation advertising target on children. In
addition, the federal must reform tax law to increase the price of junk foods and drinks. As a
result, decrease consuming of these products.
Because of substantial profits and no strict regulation on children target advertising, fast food and
soft drink companies continue to increase children advertising from multiple media. Increasing
obesity rate related to increasing fast food and soft drinks is evidential. The US government has
been hesitating to ban food and drink advertising target on children for concerning of decrease in
tax dollars. However, the government must weight the cost of obesity verse reduction in Tax
Avenue from these big corporations.
References
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http://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/speaker_pres/data/3005
Boyland, E., & Whalen, R. (2015). Food advertising to children and its effects on diet: review of
recent prevalence and impact data. Pediatric Diabetes, 16(5), 331-337.
doi:10.1111/pedi.12278
Chou, S., Rashad, I., Grossman, M., (2008) Fast-Food Restaurant Advertising on Television and
its Influence on Childhood Obesity. University of Chicago Journal of Law and
Economics
Chumley, K., (2014) Michelle must be thrilled! USDA bans all junk food sales at schools. The
Washington Times
Elbel, B., Mijanovich, T., Cantor, J., & Bragg, M. A. (2015). New York City "Healthy Happy
Meals" Bill: Potential Impact on Fast Food Purchases. American Journal Of Preventive
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Franck, C., Grandi, S. M., & Eisenberg, M. J. (2013). Taxing junk food to counter obesity.
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