Despite the fact that Hispanics and Blacks are at greater risk for obesity and related diseases, food companies specifically target these consumers with ads for fast food, candy, sugary drinks, and unhealthy snacks. As a result, Hispanic and Black children and teens view large numbers of ads for unhealthy foods and beverages—and far more of them than their White peers.
That was the troubling finding of a new report released today by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut, the Council on Black Health at Drexel University, and Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio. The study’s researchers specifically found that:
- Black children and teens each viewed an average of more than 16 food-related ads per day in 2017, compared to 8.8 ads-per-day for White children and 7.8 ads for White teens.
- Disturbingly, these disparities are on the rise for Black kids. In 2013, they viewed 70 percent more food-related ads than their White peers. In 2017, these disparities grew to 86 percent more ads viewed by Black children and 119 percent more for Black teens compared to White children and teens.
- Candy brands, in particular, disproportionately advertise to Hispanic and Black youth, with candy representing almost 20 percent of food-related TV ads viewed by Hispanic children and teens on Spanish-language TV. Black children and teens saw approximately 2.5 times as many candy ads as White children and teens.
- Children of all ethnicities are seeing very few ads for healthier foods like 100-percent juice, water, nuts, and fruit, but food companies are even less likely to advertise these products to Black consumers (representing just 1 percent of ad spending on Black-targeted television), and they weren’t advertised at all on Spanish-language TV.
As the report’s authors pointedly note:
It is not clear why candy, sugary drink, and fast-food companies – but not companies that primarily sell healthier products such as yogurt, fruit, and nuts – target large amounts of advertising to Hispanic and Black consumers. Similarly, it is unclear why companies with diverse portfolios of healthy and unhealthy brands in multiple categories almost exclusively target Hispanic and Black consumers with ads for their unhealthy brands. . . .
All the companies in our analysis with the highest levels of targeted advertising also have highly publicized corporate responsibility initiatives to promote nutrition, health, and wellness. Companies have not indicated for whom these initiatives are intended, but it does not appear that their corporate investments in health and wellness extend to consumers of color. It is important to ask why.
For those interested in learning more, the full report is here: “Increasing disparities in unhealthy food advertising targeted to Hispanic and Black youth.”
[Blogger disclosure: I currently sit on the advisory board of the Rudd Center.]
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