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Prevalence of Child-Directed Marketing on Breakfast Cereal Packages before and after Chile’s Food Marketing Law: A Pre- and Post-Quantitative Content Analysis

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  • Fernanda Mediano Stoltze

    (Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA, fmediano@email.unc.edu
    Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA)

  • Marcela Reyes

    (Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, 7830489 Santiago, Chile)

  • Taillie Lindsey Smith

    (Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
    Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

  • Teresa Correa

    (School of Communication, Diego Portales University, 8370109 Santiago, Chile)

  • Camila Corvalán

    (Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, 7830489 Santiago, Chile)

  • Francesca R. Dillman Carpentier

    (Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA, fmediano@email.unc.edu)

Abstract

Food marketing has been identified as a contributing factor in childhood obesity, prompting global health organizations to recommend restrictions on unhealthy food marketing to children. Chile has responded to this recommendation with a restriction on child-directed marketing for products that exceed certain regulation-defined thresholds in sugars, saturated fats, sodium, or calories. Child-directed strategies are allowed for products that do not exceed these thresholds. To evaluate changes in marketing due to this restriction, we examined differences in the use of child-directed strategies on breakfast cereal packages that exceeded the defined thresholds vs. those that did not exceed the thresholds before ( n = 168) and after ( n = 153) the restriction was implemented. Photographs of cereal packages were taken from top supermarket chains in Santiago. Photographed cereals were classified as “high-in” if they exceeded any nutrient threshold described in the regulation. We found that the percentage of all cereal packages using child-directed strategies before implementation (36%) was significantly lower after implementation (21%), p < 0.05. This overall decrease is due to the decrease we found in the percentage of “high-in” cereals using child-directed strategies after implementation (43% before implementation, 15% after implementation), p < 0.05. In contrast, a greater percentage of packages that did not qualify as “high-in” used child-directed strategies after implementation (30%) compared with before implementation (8%), p < 0.05. The results suggest that the Chilean food marketing regulation can be effective at reducing the use of child-directed marketing for unhealthy food products.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernanda Mediano Stoltze & Marcela Reyes & Taillie Lindsey Smith & Teresa Correa & Camila Corvalán & Francesca R. Dillman Carpentier, 2019. "Prevalence of Child-Directed Marketing on Breakfast Cereal Packages before and after Chile’s Food Marketing Law: A Pre- and Post-Quantitative Content Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-15, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:22:p:4501-:d:287133
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Charlene Elliott, 2008. "Marketing Fun Foods: A Profile and Analysis of Supermarket Food Messages Targeted at Children," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 34(2), pages 259-274, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Christine Mulligan & Anthea K. Christoforou & Laura Vergeer & Jodi T. Bernstein & Mary R. L’Abbé, 2020. "Evaluating the Canadian Packaged Food Supply Using Health Canada’s Proposed Nutrient Criteria for Restricting Food and Beverage Marketing to Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-17, February.
    2. Marissa G. Hall & Isabella C. A. Higgins & Anna H. Grummon & Allison J. Lazard & Carmen E. Prestemon & Jennifer Mendel Sheldon & Lindsey Smith Taillie, 2021. "Using a Naturalistic Store Laboratory for Clinical Trials of Point-of-Sale Nutrition Policies and Interventions: A Feasibility and Validation Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-12, August.

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