Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity How Do We Measure Up? (2007) / Chapter Skim
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5 Industry
5 Industry
Pages 167-227
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From page 167... ...
. The report recommended that industry prioritize obesity prevention in children and youth by "developing and promoting products, opportunities, and information that will encourage healthful eating behaviors and regular physical activity." The report also recommended that "industry should develop and strictly adhere to marketing and advertising guidelines that minimize the risk of obesity in children and youth" (IOM, 2005, p.
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From page 168... ...
• Leisure, entertainment, and recreation industries should develop products and opportunities that promote regular physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviors. • Full serve and fast food restaurants should expand healthier food options and provide calorie content and general nutrition information at point of purchase.
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From page 169... ...
Food, beverage, restaurant, retail, and marketing industry trade associations should assume transforming leadership roles in harnessing industry cre ativity, resources, and marketing on behalf of healthful diets for children and youth. To implement this recommendation, trade associations should: • Encourage member initiatives and compliance to develop, apply, and enforce industry-wide food and beverage marketing practice standards that support healthful diets for children and youth.
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From page 170... ...
. current private-sector efforts that support obesity prevention, including the efforts of food and beverage manufacturers; full serve restaurants and quick serve restaurants (QSR)
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From page 171... ...
It is also possible that the segments of industry whose efforts are directly or indirectly related to changing physical activity behaviors may not perceive themselves to be part of the obesity prevention discourse or they may not want to be a focus of attention for this issue. Although a number of corporations are actively engaged in increasing opportunities for physical activity, there is need for further involvement.
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From page 172... ...
While public health advocates acknowledge the values and realities of the competitive marketplace and recognize that many companies are making positive changes, companies should accept responsibility for engaging in marketing practices that promote healthy lifestyles for children and youth; • Understanding the interactions between companies, marketing prac tices, and consumer demand; • Exploring potential avenues of impact. One area that has not been fully examined is the potential impact that business leaders can have in advocating for policy changes and initiatives that promote im provements in diet and increased levels of physical activity; and • Making a commitment to monitor and evaluate efforts.
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From page 173... ...
Trade Promotion Trade promotion is a type of marketing that targets intermediary industry stake holders such as supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, and other food retail outlets. Examples of trade promotion strategies include in-store displays, agreements with retailers to provide specific shelf space and product positioning, free merchandise, and sales contests to encourage food wholesalers or retailers to sell more of a specific company's branded products or product lines.
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From page 174... ...
. Furthermore, there is currently limited evidence that companies with product portfolios comprised largely of less healthful products are merging with or acquiring companies with healthier products (Insight Investment, 2006)
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From page 175... ...
The committee also found that a majority of children's food requests are for branded products. Although the use of child-oriented licensed cartoon and other fictional or real-life spokescharacters to promote the consumption of low-nutrient and high-calorie food and beverage products has been a prevalent practice over the past several decades, the use of licensed characters to promote foods and beverages that contribute to healthful diets, particularly for preschoolers, is relatively recent (IOM, 2006)
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From page 176... ...
Although this chapter primarily focuses on corporations as the producers and the deliverers of goods and services, corporations are also major consumers of health care and have an increasing interest in the outcomes and impact of obesity on their current and future workforces and their families. EXAMPLES OF PROGRESS Building consumer demand for regular physical activity and for foods and beverages that contribute to a healthful diet is an ongoing process that
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From page 177... ...
The second phase is to appeal to consumer sovereignty by emphasizing moderation and consumer choice in their food and beverage intake, promoting physical activity, and asserting the rights of customers to decide on the appropriate selections for their own or their families' lifestyles. The third phase is to develop win-win strategies that are profitable and that therefore satisfy company shareholder needs while concurrently meeting consumers' needs for healthful products, portion control, and other steps that can lead them toward healthy lifestyles.
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From page 178... ...
Thus, the health trend is not uniform across the entire population. Many consumers seeking healthful diets will exchange certain foods for healthier choices; at the same time, however, they may seek indulgent and high-calorie treats (IRI, 2006)
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From page 179... ...
• Reformulate products to reduce calories, sodium, saturated fats, and trans fats. • Use trans fat-free and low-saturated fat oils in food preparation.
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From page 180... ...
. The products that contribute to healthful diets of children and youth have been projected to be among the most active and profitable new product categories for industry from 2005 to 2009 (Business Insights, 2005)
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From page 181... ...
An individual's energy allowance is the amount of calories needed for weight maintenance. Discretionary calories are usually between 100 and 300 calories/day and depend on a person's physical activity level (DHHS and USDA, 2005)
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From page 182... ...
Specific criteria upon which positive industry changes can be evaluated may include: changes in a company's product portfolio and marketing resources to develop, package, and promote products that contribute to healthy lifestyles; reducing the portion sizes of food and beverage products; designing initiatives that easily convey information to consumers about food, beverage, and meal products that meet established nutrition criteria; the provision of information that promotes regular physical activity; and developing partnerships with government and nonprofit organizations to increase the number and quality of programs that promote healthful eating and active lifestyles for children, youth, and their families. Product Reformulation and New Product Innovations Subsequent to the release of the Health in the Balance report (IOM, 2005)
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From page 183... ...
Many of these products are designed to help consumers meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 and offer other benefits, such as increasing whole-grain consumption, encouraging low-fat dairy consumption, and reducing calorie consumption to help consumers balance their calorie intake with their energy expenditure (GMA, 2006)
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From page 184... ...
Food Retailers The food retailer is an important stakeholder in childhood obesity prevention because it serves as the interface between manufacturers and consumers. Industry stakeholders and public health practitioners often overlook this untapped setting as a means of reaching young consumers with healthful products and health-promotion initiatives.
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From page 185... ...
Many full serve restaurants and QSRs are expanding the availability of healthier items on their menus; establishing their own guidelines for advertising and marketing of food, beverages, and meals; and educating their customers by providing nutrition information and product labeling. For example, Burger King provides a nutrition guide online; Denny's has the DZone Kids' Menu; Pizza Hut has the Fit ‘N Delicious menu; and Chick-filA advertises The Trim Trio™, a combination meal with 330 calories, less than 4 grams of fat, and no trans fat (Cohn, 2006)
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From page 186... ...
Building and sustaining consumer demand for reformulated food and beverage products and restaurant meals is an important strategy for helping Americans to consume more healthful diets. Achieving this goal will require continued innovation around the composition and packaging of foods, beverages, and meals; improvements in the taste of healthier products; and making them convenient and affordable for consumers.
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From page 187... ...
However, evaluations of these initiatives are needed to demonstrate that consumers do not overcompensate by consuming more of the calorie-controlled packages or consuming more calorie-dense foods or beverages at other times of the day. Restaurants The Health in the Balance report recommended that full serve restaurants and QSRs expand their healthier food options and provide families with the calorie content and general nutrition information of their meals at the point of purchase (IOM, 2005)
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From page 188... ...
. Physical Activity Opportunities The Health in the Balance report recommended that the leisure, entertainment, and recreation industries develop products and opportunities
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From page 189... ...
Some companies are beginning to produce branded physical activity equipment for children and youth. For example, McDonald's Corporation has started a new multicategory licensing initiative called McKIDS™ that unifies its branded product line including toys, interactive videos, books, and DVDs to reflect active lifestyles (McDonald's Corporation, 2003)
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From page 190... ...
These industries have important opportunities and responsibilities to depict and promote healthful diets and physical activity among children and youth (IOM, 2006)
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From page 191... ...
The Cartoon Network has initiated a healthy lifestyles program called Get Animated that uses celebrity endorsements and partnerships to extend its outreach to children and families to encourage physical activity and making choices that contribute to a healthful diet. In conjunction with its cable television campaign, the network sponsors a nationwide tour of cartoon-based spokescharacters that involve children in various activities to show that fruits, vegetables, and physical activity can be fun and cool (Time Warner, 2006)
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From page 192... ...
, formed a public-private partnership, the Coalition for Healthy Children, to formulate research-based messages targeted to parents, children, and youth through the collective strength of the food, beverage, restaurant, and marketing industries; the media; nonprofit organizations; foundations; and government agencies. The coalition members work to provide consistent messages about physical activity, food choices, portion sizes, the balancing of food and physical activity, and parental role modeling across multiple media platforms.
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From page 193... ...
. An assessment conducted by the National Advertising Review Council (NARC, 2004)
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From page 194... ...
NARC sets the policies for the National Adver tising Division, National Advertising Review Board, Children's Advertising Review Unit, and the Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program. Children's Advertising Review Unit The Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU)
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From page 195... ...
. a new director of communications, added two child nutritionists to its advisory group, and established three task forces to examine the need for expanding the group's purview (e.g., websites and interactive media, paid product placement in children's programming, and the appropriate use of licensed characters in food and beverage promotion)
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From page 196... ...
. First, it recommends that industry work through CARU to revise, expand, apply, enforce, and evaluate explicit industry self-regulatory guidelines beyond traditional advertising to include evolving vehicles and venues for marketing communication (e.g., the Internet, advergames, and branded product placement across multiple media platforms)
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From page 197... ...
The recommended items should be available, accessible, affordable, appealing, and sufficiently promoted to consumers. One of the approaches that has been adopted by food and beverage manufacturers to help consumers make healthier product choices is to highlight the existing products in their portfolios that meet certain nutrition standards that are based on recommendations by FDA, the IOM's Dietary Reference Intakes, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005.
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From page 198... ...
that meet specific nutrient criteria according to FDA guidelines that define limits for calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars, and sodium; identify products that are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals; and meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans food-based guidelines. This type of product branding enables consumers to identify healthful products as determined and conveyed by the company that makes and promotes the products.
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From page 199... ...
Food retailers also offer several opportunities for educating young consumers about nutritious product choices and physical activity. They can conduct educational tours for school groups and provide nutrition information for teachers and students, as well as providing print and Internet-based information and menu planning ideas for families (Childs, 2006)
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From page 200... ...
The Health in the Balance report recommended that full serve and fast food restaurants or QSRs should expand their healthier options and provide calorie content and general nutrition information at the point of purchase (IOM, 2005)
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From page 201... ...
Leading food and beverage companies, such as PepsiCo, General Mills, and Kellogg, have established corporate foundations that are involved in partnerships focused on nutrition and physical activity. In 2005, General Mills reported that it contributed $78 million to communities across the United States, $20 million of which was awarded by the General Mills Foundation as grants for promoting child nutrition and fitness, social services, education, and arts and culture (General Mills, 2005b)
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From page 202... ...
. Many company and corporate foundations have initiatives to address health, physical activity, and obesity prevention issues, many of which focus on improving opportunities for healthy lifestyles in low income African-American and Hispanic/Latino communities.
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From page 203... ...
. In May 2006, the Alliance announced a new initiative, along with representatives from Cadbury Schweppes, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and the American Beverage Association to establish new guidelines in schools that will limit portion sizes; prohibit the sale of sweetened beverages and highcalorie, low-nutrient foods; and offer calorie-controlled servings of beverages to children and adolescents in the school environment.
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From page 204... ...
A number of corporations are actively involved in community initiatives related to obesity prevention and increasing the levels of physical activity among adults and young people, often through the public-private partnerships discussed above. Examples include NikeGO (sponsored by Nike, Inc.)
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From page 205... ...
To evaluate whether industry changes are shifting in a desirable direction to promote healthier diets and lifestyles, one must examine multiple types of available evidence to assess whether industry stakeholders are acting as collaborators and partners with other sectors and stakeholders in addressing childhood obesity prevention. As described above, a systematic evaluation of the progress made by the leading 25 global food manufacturers, retailers, and restaurants in responding to the recommendations of the WHO's Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health was conducted (Lang et al., 2006)
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From page 206... ...
Increasing the numbers of packaged or restaurant food items that meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, reducing the package sizes for products high in energy density and total calories, providing more prominent label information conveying the total calorie content of a typical serving, and providing nutrition information for restaurant foods, beverages, and meals are all important steps in childhood obesity prevention efforts. Changes in marketing and advertising practices are also essential so that children and youth are not the focus of efforts to promote foods and beverages of poor nutritional quality and high energy density.
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From page 207... ...
They could also be used to inform a multifaceted social marketing program that would target parents, caregivers, and families to promote healthful diets and lifestyles for children and youth. Other groups have concurred with this recommendation to increase the public availability of commercial data.
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From page 208... ...
can be applied to two specific examples -- industry's collective efforts to develop and promote the consumption of low-calorie and high nutrient-density beverage products by children and youth and efforts by corporations to promote physical activity among chil
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From page 209... ...
Collaboration may be assessed through company membership in trade associations, coalitions, and involvement in public-private partnerships that support obesity prevention and health promotion, particularly with an emphasis on consumption of healthier beverages by children and youth.
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From page 210... ...
obesity prevention company use of to identify Population initiatives. product icons and healthier Marketing and labeling to promote beverages.
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From page 211... ...
products that in the to developing and Promotion encourage energy Population supporting consistent • Companies' integrated expenditure. and coordinated health marketing plans • Increase daily Reduce promotion and obesity emphasize play and engagement in prevention policies and Obesity physical activity in all age moderate to Environmental interventions.
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From page 212... ...
Corporations can also show leadership in the organizational modeling of physical activity and fitness and nutrition practices and policies. Develop, Sustain, and Support Evaluation and Evaluation Capacity As corporations continue to develop initiatives and make changes aimed at improving the dietary quality of foods and beverages or increasing physical activity, independent evaluations of these efforts are needed.
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From page 213... ...
. The committee concludes that it is essential for government and nonprofit organizations to encourage and incentivize companies to support the evaluation of obesity prevention interventions.
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From page 214... ...
Analogous efforts are needed for the restaurant and food retailer sectors, as well as the entertainment, leisure, and recreation industries. After reviewing the evidence, the committee concludes that adequate funds should be made available to support independent and periodic evaluations of industry's progress toward making changes that support childhood obesity prevention goals.
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From page 215... ...
are used to promote low-calorie and high-nutrient foods and beverages that support a healthful diet and healthy lifestyles. Collaboration with CARU and adhering industry stakeholders should work closely the federal with and foster cooperation with FTC to monitor, evaluate, and government enforce the effectiveness of the expanded self-regulatory guidelines.
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From page 216... ...
To support the recommendation, the committee suggests that the food retail sector, the restaurant sector, and relevant trade associations and companies collaborate with USDA and DHHS to provide data on pricing strategies, consumer food purchases, and consumption trends from proprietary retail scanner systems, household scanner panels, household consumption surveys, and marketing research. The collaborative work should examine the quality of the data, consider reducing the cost of the data to increase accessibility, and establish priorities for using the information to promote healthful diets and physical activity.
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From page 217... ...
Implementation Actions for Industry Industry should use the full range of available resources and tools to create, support, and sustain consumer demand for products and opportunities that support healthy lifestyles including healthful diets and regular physical activity. To accomplish this, • Industry should continue to support and market product inno vations and reformulations that promote energy balance at a healthy weight for children and youth and that are compatible with obesity prevention goals.
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From page 218... ...
• Industry should provide resources and expertise to local busi nesses and community-based organizations to implement and evaluate initiatives that provide opportunities for consumers to engage in healthful eating and regular physical activity, espe cially for children and youth in racially and ethnically diverse groups and high-risk populations. Recommendation 3: Government, industry, communities, and schools should expand or develop relevant surveillance and monitoring systems and, as applicable, should engage in research to examine the impact of childhood obesity prevention policies, interventions, and actions on relevant outcomes, paying particular attention to the unique needs of diverse groups and high-risk populations.
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From page 219... ...
• The CDC should evaluate the effectiveness of corporate-spon sored physical activity programs, energy-balance education programs, and the use of branded physical activity equipment (e.g., physical videogames) on children's leisure-time prefer ences and physical activity behaviors.
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From page 220... ...
should partner to develop a mechanism for the sharing propri etary data (e.g., product sales information, marketing research data, and the results of evaluations of industry-supported pro grams) that can inform research efforts and assist in developing a healthy lifestyles social marketing campaign.
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From page 221... ...
2005. The Advertising Story: A Study of the Context of the Ad Council/Coalition for Healthy Children's Obesity Prevention Messages in TV and Web-Based Advertising.
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From page 222... ...
2006. Perspectives on Marketing, Self-Regulation, and Childhood Obesity: A Report on a Joint Workshop of the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health & Human Services, April 2006.
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From page 223... ...
2006. Availability of nutrition information on menus at major chain table-service restaurants.
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From page 224... ...
2006. The Food Industry, Diet, Physical Activity and Health: A Review of the Reported Commitments and Practice of 25 of the World's Largest Food Companies.
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From page 225... ...
. NARC (National Advertising Review Council)
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From page 226... ...
2004. The economics of physical activity.
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From page 227... ...
2004. VERB™ -- A social marketing campaign to increase physical activity among youth.
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