|
TrendWatch—Childhood
Obesity: A Fat New Opportunity for Marketers
|
 |
You can hardly
open a newspaper or switch on the news these days without hearing
fresh outrage about childhood obesity. The message? Too many
kids are too fat—and something has to change.
The media began feeding on this topic in early 2001 when Surgeon
General David Satcher issued a report that cited obesity as
a major cause of premature deaths in Americans. Without policy
changes by the food industry, schools and the government, he
warned, obesity would surpass tobacco as the leading cause of
preventable deaths.
Nearly 60 percent of U.S. adults and 15 percent of children
ages 6–19 are overweight. That translates to about nine
million overweight and obese children. Childhood obesity rates
are much higher among the poor and in urban populations. Childhood
obesity leads to diseases such as diabetes and asthma as well
as heart and liver disease.
The focus on childhood obesity has generated lawsuits against
major fast food restaurants, congressional inquiries on the
nutritional value of school lunches, legislative proposals and
an increase in awareness among mothers of the nutritional content
in their children’s meals. There is also an increased
focus on snack and food advertising targeted to children.
The most well publicized lawsuit was filed in August by the
parents of two Bronx, NY, children who became obese and developed
health problems after regularly eating hamburgers and french
fries at McDonald’s. A U.S. District Court judge in Manhattan
recently dismissed this suit. Had the lawsuit been successful,
it could have spawned thousands of similar lawsuits against
restaurants and food companies. Other experts have pointed out
that schools that give beverage and snack-food companies exclusive
rights to sell their goods in vending machines might also be
open to lawsuits.
The nutritional value of food in school cafeterias is expected
to be the focus of debate in Congress in the coming months as
lawmakers look at renewing school lunch and other child nutrition
programs overseen by the U.S. Agriculture Department.
In some ways the response to the childhood obesity epidemic
is following what experts call the “tobacco model.”
Not only have there been individual and class-action lawsuits,
but snack taxes are also being discussed around the country.
State legislatures in California, Washington, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Vermont and Nebraska have introduced bills in the past two years
to tax soft drinks or snack foods. Only recently have proponents
of food taxes started using anti-obesity language to justify
these snack taxes.
The packaged food and fast food industries have responded to
this assault with many of the expected PR responses. Food companies
have invested in campaigns promoting exercise and balanced diets,
and denied that their products were at the root of America’s
fat problem. Hershey Foods and McDonald’s gave grants
to the International Food Information Council to set up a web
site to encourage children to exercise more. Trade groups joined
forces last year to help fund obesity research and lobby Congress
to make schools require gym classes.
The childhood obesity epidemic has causes beyond the foods,
snacks and drinks that kids consume. The elimination of recess
and physical education classes and the tendency for kids to
spend more time on computers, watching TV, or playing video
games are also critical elements of the problem. Parents also
have responsibility for the food their children consume.
Food and restaurant companies can point their fingers at the
other reasons for the epidemic, but the perception among many
consumers is that food companies are not doing enough in the
area of providing healthy eating options. Food companies can
respond by offering statistics and PR programs or they can develop
and market healthier products that meet the needs of consumers.
Companies must be more realistic about serving sizes and also
work to reduce calorie and fat content in existing and new products.
Marketers will also need to be very sensitive about the way
they advertise their food and beverage products to children.
The focus on childhood obesity will definitely present challenges
to some categories and brands, but there are huge opportunities
for those companies that provide innovation and leadership in
product development and marketing.
|
|
|
Email this page
Download PDF (207k)
More
Trends & Insights
Executive
Insight
Effective
Targeting: Unifying Segmentation and Market Structure
Navigating
the Road to Hollywood
Targeting
Early Adopters: A Means for New Product Survival
Building
a Better Online Media Plan
The
Economy, the Consumer and the 2003 Retail Outlook
Global
Mega Brand Franchises: Extending Brands Within a Global Marketplace
|
