A D+ A- F B+ B- C AN ANALYSIS OF FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY POLICIES REGARDING FOOD AND BEVERAGE MARKETING TO CHILDREN REPORT CARD ON FOOD-MARKETING POLICIES This study on corporate policies on the marketing of food to children was conducted, and the report written, by Margo G. Wootan, DSc, Ameena Batada, DrPH, and Ona Balkus. Additional help with data collection and analysis was provided by Arianne Corbett, RD, Lauren McLarney, Seth Coburn, Lindsey Vickroy, and Annalisse Leekley. CSPI and the Nutrition Policy Project The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. Since 1971, CSPI has been working to improve the public’s health through its work on nutrition, food safety, and alcohol issues. CSPI is supported primarily by the 850,000 subscribers to its Nutrition Action Healthletter and philanthropic foundations. CSPI’s Nutrition Policy Project works with concerned citizens, health professionals, government officials and other nonprofit organizations to strengthen national, state, and local policies and programs to promote healthy eating and reduce obesity. Our goals are to help reduce the illnesses, disabilities, and deaths caused by diet- and obesity-related diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes. For more information on CSPI’s projects and other policies to promote healthy eating and reduce obesity, visit www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy. Report Card on Food-Marketing Policies: An Analysis of Food and Entertainment Company Policies Regarding Food and Beverage Marketing to Children is available on-line, free of charge at www.cspinet.org/marketingreportcard. Acknowledgements The Center for Science in the Public Interest deeply appreciates the financial support provided for this report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Eating Research project and CSPI members. We thank the members of the Food Marketing Report Card advisory committee for their advice in determining which companies to include in the study, evaluating our assessment/grading criteria, and reviewing the report: Angela Campbell, JD, LLM Georgetown University Sana Chehimi, MPH Prevention Institute Lisa Craypo, MPH, RD Samuels & Associates, Inc. Lori Dorfman, DrPH Berkeley Media Studies Group Roberta Friedman, ScM Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University Marvin Goldberg, PhD Penn State University Josh Golin, MA Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood Jeff McIntyre, MA Children NOW Suzen Moeller, PhD American Medical Association Ellen Wartella, PhD University of California, Riverside Laurie Whitsel, PhD American Heart Association Makani Themba-Nixon Praxis Project © MARCH 2010 F or more information, model policies, and other materials, contact: MARGO G. WOOTAN, DSc CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST (CSPI) PHONE: 202 777 8352 FAX: 202 265 4954 EMAIL: NUTRITIONPOLICY@CSPINET.ORG G RADE COMPANIES GRADE COMPANIES A — B+ M ars, Inc. B QUBO Venture, LLC; Procter & Gamble Company (Pringles) B- Nestlé USA; Kraft Foods Global, Inc.; Cadbury Adams USA, LLC; Hershey Company; Dunkin’ Brands; General Mills, Inc. C+ Post Foods, LLC; PepsiCo Inc.; Public Broadcasting Service (PBS); Coca-Cola Company C Walt Disney Company (including ABC, Funschool, and Pixar); Burger King Corporation; Campbell Soup Company; Sesame Workshop; Hostess Brands, Inc.; Kellogg Company; ConAgra Foods, Inc. (Chef Boyardee, Kid Cuisine, Peter Pan) C - Unilever (Popsicle, Skippy); Highlights for Children, I nc.; Dannon Company; McDonald’s USA, LLC; H.J. Heinz Company (Bagel Bites); Viacom International Inc. (Nickelodeon) D+ Sunny Delight Beverages Co.; Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation; Cartoon Network; Ruby Tuesday, Inc. D Doctor’s Associates Inc. (Subway); Yum! Brands, Inc. (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell); CEC Entertainment Concepts, L.P. (Chuck E. Cheese’s) D- — F Bob Evans Farms, Inc.; CBS Corporation; American Dairy Queen Corporation; Discovery Communications, LLP; Mattel, Inc.; NBC Universal, Inc.; Univision Communications Inc.; Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (New Line Cinemas) REPORT CARD 1 FOOD-MARKETING POLICY 1 Within each grade, companies are listed from highest to lower scores. 20th Century Fox Activision (Sierra Studios, video games) Alloy Media and Marketing (Channel One) AMC Entertainment American Girl Magazine American Greetings Corporations Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. Blizzard Entertainment (video games) Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age, Robots) Boys’ Life Magazine Brinker International (Chili’s Grill & Bar) Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar Cajun Operating Company (Church’s Chicken) Carmike Cinemas, Inc. Cheesecake Factory Assets Co. LLC Chick-fil-A, Inc. Cinemark USA, Inc. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CKE Restaurants, Inc. (Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s) Darden Concepts, Inc. (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse) Denny’s, Inc. DineEquity, Inc. (Applebee’s, IHOP) Domino’s Pizza E.W. Scripps Company (Peanuts Comic) Electronic Arts, Inc. (video games) Golden Corral Girls’ Life Acquisition Co. (magazine) Hansen Beverage Company Hasbro, Inc. HIT Entertainment Limited (Barney, Bob the Builder, Thomas the Train) Hollywood Theaters, Inc. HP Hood LLC Jack in the Box Inc. Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatre Kids Discover (magazine) Klutz (crafts and games) LFP Publishing, LLC (Tips & Tricks Magazine) Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. Lucasfilm Ltd. Major League Soccer, L.L.C. Marcus Corporation (movie theater) Marvel Characters, Inc. McKee Foods Corporation (Little Debbie snack cakes) MGA Entertainment, Inc. (Bratz) Microsoft Corporation (XBox) MLB Advanced Media, L.P. (Major League Baseball) National Amusements Inc. (movie theater) National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) National Geographic Society (National Geographic Kids) National Hockey League National Wildlife Federation (Wild Animal Baby Magazine,Your Big Backyard Magazine, Ranger Rick) NBA Properties, Inc. NFL Enterprises LLC Nintendo of America, Inc. OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC (Outback Steakhouse) Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. (Panda Express) Panera Bread Papa John’s International, Inc. Pearson Education, Inc. (Fun Brain) Perfetti Van Melle S.p.A. (Airheads) Perkins & Marie Callender’s Inc. Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation Pinnacle Foods Group LLC (Aunt Jemima, Lender’s, Duncan Hines) Pokémon Company Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (AFC Enterprises, Inc.) QIP Holder LLC (Quiznos) Rave Motion Pictures, LLC Red Robin International, Inc. Regal Entertainment Group Romano’s Macaroni Grill Ryan’s Restaurant Group, Inc. (Hometown Buffet/Old Country Buffet) Sara Lee Corporation Scholastic Inc. Schwan’s Home Service, Inc. Sizzler Restaurants SONIC Corp. Sony Corporation of America (Play Station, Sony Motion Pictures) Sunkist Growers, Inc. T.G.I. Friday’s Inc. Texas Roadhouse, Inc. Time Inc. (Sports Illustrated for Kids, Time for Kids) Topps Company, Inc. (Bazooka, Ring Pop, Baby Bottle Pop) Waffle House, Inc. Wendy’s International Inc. Whataburger Restaurants LP World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Zoobooks no poli c y F Summary The National Academies’ Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that television food advertising affects children’s food choices, food purchase requests, diets, and health. Yet, companies spend approximately $2 billion a year on marketing foods and beverages to children, mostly for foods high in calories, fats, sugars, and sodium, and low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and key nutrients. In 2008, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommended that “all companies that market food or beverage products to children [should] adopt and adhere to meaningful nutrition-based standards for marketing their products” and that marketing include all advertising and promotional techniques. In the past few years, a number of food and entertainment companies have announced policies on food marketing to children independently or through the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ (CBBB) Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI). This report examines whether companies that market food to children have adopted a policy on marketing to children, and if so, the adequacy of that policy. The report does not assess whether companies complied with their policies in practice. During the summer of 2009, CSPI staff conducted telephone interviews and searched company Web sites, articles in the Nexis news service, and used Google keyword searches to collect company policies on marketing to children. We evaluated food and beverage manufacturers, chain restaurants, and entertainment companies that market food to children. We assessed policies for marketing to children under the age of 12 years old and for marketing in elementary and secondary schools. Although some children in middle schools and all children in high schools are not under 12, schools are a unique space that should be free of the marketing of low-nutrition foods. We evaluated the strength of the companies’ nutrition standards, scope of media covered by their policies, and their definitions for “child-directed” media. Of the 128 companies analyzed, two-thirds (68%) did not have a policy for food marketing to children. A much larger proportion of food and beverage manufacturers (64%) had marketing policies than did restaurants (24%) or entertainment companies (22%). No company received an A for its policy. The company with the strongest policy was Mars, which received a B+. The Mars policy did not allow for its products to be marketed to children under 12 years old and covered most of the key media approaches used to reach children (with the exception of on-package marketing and most marketing in high schools). REPORT CARD ON FOOD-MARKETING POLICIES AN ANALYSIS OF FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY POLICIES REGARDING FOOD AND BEVERAGE MARKETING TO CHILDREN “All companies that market food or beverage products to children [should] adopt and adhere to meaningful nutrition-based standards for marketing their products” and that marketing should include all advertising and promotional techniques. –Federal Trade Commission, 2008 The only entertainment company to get a B was Qubo Venture (which has a television channel, Web site, and broadcasts its programming on NBC Saturday mornings, ION Television, and Telemundo). Qubo had a comprehensive policy, applying reasonably good nutrition standards to its full range of marketing. One food company received a B, six got a B-, 17 got a C, and 7 a D. Ninety-five companies received an F; of those, eight had very weak marketing policies and 87 did not have a policy. Food manufacturers and restaurants were more likely to have policies for television, radio, print, the company’s own Web site, advertising on third-party Internet sites, product placement, and use of licensed characters in advertising. The companies were less likely to have policies or policies were weaker for digital marketing, on-package promotions, and marketing programs in schools. Eight in ten entertainment companies (45 companies) did not have a food marketing policy. When they did, those policies were generally more limited in scope than were the policies of food and beverage manufacturers. If entertainment companies had a marketing policy, it most likely addressed the use of licensed characters. Policies generally were weaker or did not exist for television, radio, print, company Web sites, other digital media, and product placement. For example, the Cartoon Network applied nutrition standards to the licensing of its characters, but not to its television advertising or Web site, which are the primary means by which it markets to children. Of the companies with policies for marketing to children, almost all (94%) of the food and beverage manufacturers surveyed had nutrition standards or had policies not to market any of their products to children under 12 years of age. Fifty percent of restaurants and 46% of entertainment companies with marketing policies had nutrition standards. Companies have not complied with the FTC’s recommendation to standardize nutrition criteria for marketing to children. Each company had a different set of standards. ii Center for Science in the Public Interest | www.cspinet.org Food and Beverage Manufacturers (n) Companies with marketing policies 64% (18) 24% (10) 22% (13) Of companies with policies, % with nutrition standards or did not allow marketing of any foods 94% (17) 50% (5) 46% (6) Chain Restaurants (n) Entertainment Companies (n) Pizza Hut’s “Book It” program provides pizza as a reward for reading. Food rewards can cultivate unhealthy relationships with food. Perfetti Van Melle’s Web site for Airheads candy includes characters from the popular children’s movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel, as well as games and a kids’ club. Nutrition standards were strongest for saturated fat and trans fat among all types o f companies. Food companies and restaurants also tended to have strong policies for total fat. It was more common for food manufacturers and restaurants to have weak policies or no policy for sodium and added sugars. Among the entertainment companies that had policies, sodium and total fat policies were generally weak or absent. Across all companies, a requirement for marketed food to provide positive nutritional value — such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, vitamins, or minerals — was often weak or not included in the nutrition standards. Several previous reports found that company compliance with their policies on food marketing to children was high. However, the meaningfulness of that compliance is questionable in light of this study finding that most companies that market to children did not even have a policy (68%), and the majority of existing policies were weak; three-quarters were graded as C, D, or F. In order for self-regulation of food marketing to children to be effective: All food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, and entertainment companies that market to children should have a written food marketing policy that is readily available to the public. Companies that do any marketing to children, even if not during children’s television programming, should have a marketing policy. • Although its program conditions are not ideal, all companies should belong to the CBBB’s Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, since its member companies’ policies are generally clearly spelled out, available in one place for public viewing, and compliance is monitored by the CBBB. • The CBBB and entertainment companies should work together to develop a set of entertainment-company-specific criteria for the CFBAI, and entertainment companies should join the Initiative. All companies should use a uniform set of strong nutrition standards. Company marketing policies should cover all approaches used to market to children. Many companies need to strengthen their policies for digital marketing, on-package/in-store promotions, and practices in elementary, middle, and high schools. • Companies should adopt a uniform set of definitions for marketing “directed to children.” A set is expected to be recommended by the Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children. Without more significant progress in the next two years, the country will need to rely on government regulation, rather than self-regulation, as the means to address food marketing to children. iii Center for Science in the Public Interest | www.cspinet.org 1 Center for Science in the Public Interest | www.cspinet.org Introduction Food marketing affects children’s diets and health In December 2005, the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a comprehensive review of research on the influence of food marketing to children (IOM, 2006). The IOM concluded that television (which is by far the largest medium for advertising to children) food advertising affects children’s food choices, food purchase requests, diets, and health. In addition, the committee concluded that the foods and beverages marketed to children are out of balance with current dietary recommendations. Marketing to children is extensive Companies spent approximately $2 billion in 2006 on marketing foods and beverages to children (including toy give-aways with children’s meals at fast-food restaurants) (FTC, 2008). Companies market food to children through traditional media, such as television, radio, magazines, product packaging, and in-store displays and promotions. In addition, they use many other approaches, such as the Internet and other new electronic media, ads in movie theaters, school-based marketing, product placement in movies and video games, marketing in amusement parks, food-themed toys, clothing and other merchandise, and almost anywhere a logo or product image can be shown. Food marketing techniques include the use of spokescharacters, celebrities, cartoons, children’s meals and menus, premiums (such as toys or other items distributed in product packaging, with restaurant meals, through contests, or redeemable via coupons, codes, or proof of purchase), games, contests, kids’ clubs, viral marketing, event sponsorship, and more. Low-income and racial-minority populations are disproportionately exposed to television and other media (Rideout et al., 2010), which results in heightened exposure to the marketing of unhealthy foods. Some studies suggest that marketing of low-nutrition foods is particularly prevalent on television channels targeting African Americans, such as BET (Tirodkar & Jain, 2003), and Hispanic populations, such as Univision (Thompson et al., 2008). Young people are uniquely vulnerable to food marketing Children lack the skills and maturity to comprehend the complexities of good nutrition or to appreciate the long-term consequences of their actions, such as that their dietary patterns can result in cancer, diabetes, and heart or other diseases. Children of different ages face different vulnerabilities to food marketing and diverse challenges to healthful eating. “Among many factors, food and beverage marketing influences the preferences and purchase requests of children, influences short-term consumption, may contribute to less healthful diets, and contributes to an environment that puts their health at risk.” –Institute of Medicine, 2006 REPORT CARD ON FOOD-MARKETING POLICIES Chuck E. Cheese “Pizza Maker Play Set” includes sauce powder that has to be mixed with ketchup and “cheese”, which has maltodextrin as the first ingredient. 2 Center for Science in the Public Interest | www.cspinet.org Y oung children do not understand the persuasive intent of advertising and are easily misled. Based on an extensive research review, the American Psychological Association concluded that until the age of about 8 years old children are unable to understand the persuasive intent of advertisements (Kunkel et al., 2004). According to the IOM, children as old as 10 years may not understand the persuasive intent of advertising (IOM, 2006). Older children, who still do not have fully developed logical thinking, have considerable spending money and opportunities to make food choices and purchases in the absence of parental guidance and the absence of understanding the long-term consequences of poor nutrition. Most of the foods and beverages marketed to children are unhealthy The primary reason food marketing has a negative effect on children’s diets and health is that the overwhelming majority of marketing aimed at children is for foods of poor nutritional quality (IOM, 2006). A study of Saturday morning children’s television found that 91% of the advertisements promoted foods that were high in saturated fat, added sugars, or sodium, or low in fruits, vegetables, or key nutrients (Batada et al., 2008). A 2000-calorie diet of advertised foods would exceed recommended daily values for total fat, saturated fat, and sodium and provide nearly 1 cup of added sugar (Harrison and Marske, 2005). Carbonated beverages, fast food, and breakfast cereals make up 63% of the total amount spent on marketing to youth (FTC, 2008). Foods Advertised on Saturday Morning Television SNACK FOODS 18% CANDY 14% BEVERAGES 10% YOGURT 4% BREAKFAST PASTRIES 3% FROZEN NOVELTIES 3% PACKAGED MEALS & ENTREES 3% RESTAURANTS 19% CEREAL & CEREAL BARS 27% 3 Center for Science in the Public Interest | www.cspinet.org P arental authority is undermined by the wide discrepancies between what parents tell their children is healthful to eat and what marketing promotes as desirable to eat. In addition, while many parents have limited proficiency in nutrition, companies have extensive expertise in persuasive techniques. They hire psychologists and research firms to conduct marketing and neuroscience research to determine how to most effectively influence children’s food preferences and choices. Companies encourage children to choose foods for fun and social acceptance, not for their nutritional or health value (Page & Brewster, 2007). Companies also have ready access to techniques to affect children’s food choices that parents do not have, such as cartoon characters, contests, celebrities, and toy give-aways. Parents, of course, bear the primary responsibility for feeding their children. Most parents try to get their children to eat a balanced and healthful diet, but billions of dollars spent on marketing low-nutrition foods to children makes it exceedingly difficult. Children (8 to 12 years old) view an average of 21 food ads on television each day (Gantz et al., 2007), along with many additional marketing messages delivered through Web sites, schools, on food packaging, etc. Given how often companies communicate with children about food, those who manufacture, sell, and promote food to children have an enormous, and usually deleterious, effect on parents’ ability to feed their children a healthful diet. Self-regulation of food marketing to children Based on the types of food marketed to children and the research that shows that marketing has a negative impact on children’s diets and health, the IOM (2006) concluded that, “current food and beverage marketing practices put children’s long-term health at risk.” Among the IOM’s key recommendations is that food and entertainment companies should improve the balance of foods marketed to children within two years of the report’s 2006 issuance; otherwise, the report recommended, Congress should step in to regulate food marketing to children. Since the IOM report was released, a number of food and entertainment companies have implemented policies on food marketing to children. The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) announced the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) in November 2006. Thus far, sixteen food manufacturers and restaurants, representing about 80% of television food advertising expenditures (Peeler et al., 2009), have pledged not to market to children under 12 years old any of their products or products that do not meet individual company Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative Participants: Burger King Cadbury Adams Campbell Soup Company Coca-Cola Company ConAgra Foods Dannon General Mills Hershey Kellogg Kraft Foods Mars McDonald’s USA Nestlé USA PepsiCo Post Foods Unilever United States 4 Center for Science in the Public Interest | www.cspinet.org n utrition standards. To participate in the CBBB Initiative, companies are asked to address advertising through measured media (television, radio, print, and Internet), product placement, and some types of advertising in elementary schools. A number of beverage and snack food companies have agreed to limit the sale of low-nutrition beverages and snacks in elementary, middle, and high schools through an agreement with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association. The School Beverage Guidelines and the Competitive Food Guidelines were adopted in 2006 (AHG, 2009). Several entertainment companies also have announced efforts to address food marketing to children, primarily by setting nutrition standards for foods which can be associated with characters that they license. In addition, a few companies have announced that they will apply their standards to other types of marketing, such as sponsorships and the company’s own Web site. No entertainment companies belong to the CBBB’s CFBAI. Food marketing to children report card Studies have found that companies’ compliance with their own policies on food marketing to children is high. The CBBB has completed two assessments on the compliance of companies that belong to the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative with their marketing policies (Peeler et al., 2009; Peeler & Kolish, 2008). The CBBB evaluated compliance through company reports and monitoring of 54 hours of children’s television programming in 2009 (Peeler et al., 2009). The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) also found high compliance by CFBAI companies with their stated marketing policies by evaluating the nutritional quality of products approved by companies for marketing to children and monitoring advertising in 28 hours of children’s television programming on Nickelodeon in 2009 (Batada & Wootan, 2009). If compliance is strong, the next key question is “compliance with what?” How strong are company policies for food marketing to children? If the U.S. Congress, Federal Trade Commission, other policy makers, advocates, and parents are to assess the effectiveness of self-regulatory efforts, they need a comprehensive analysis of company marketing policies. The Federal Trade Commission has recommended that “all companies that market food or beverage products to children should adopt and adhere to meaningful nutrition-based standards for marketing their products” and that marketing should include all advertising and promotional techniques (FTC, 2008). Previously, CSPI summarized company marketing policies and the nutrition standards for marketing to children for a number of food manufacturers, restaurants, and entertainment companies (CSPI, 2009a; CSPI, 2009b). However, a need has been identified to analyze in more detail the strength of those policies and the policies of additional companies. Imagination Farms uses popular Walt Disney characters to promote fresh produce to children. [...]... adoption of new media) and the ability of companies to precisely target such marketing, it is essential for companies to have strong policies on digital marketing to children on- package and in-store marketing: Sixty-one percent of food manufacturers and restaurants with marketing policies did not have a policy, or had only a vague policy, regarding on- package and in-store marketing (Figure 2) On- package... low-nutrition foods at any school events, at any time Nutrition standards Of the food and beverage manufacturers with policies for marketing to children, almost all (94%) had nutrition standards or had policies not to market any of their products to children (Figure 6) In addition, 50% of restaurants and 46% of entertainment companies with marketing policies had nutrition standards Sixty-one percent of. .. standards for food marketing to children Its final report and recommendations are due out in July 2010 and should provide a model for companies to adopt Conclusion: In order for self regulation to result in meaningful change, all food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, and entertainment companies that market to children should adopt a uniform set of strong nutrition standards and apply them to. .. of less nutritious versus more nutritious foods advertised to children, the Report Card on Food- Marketing Policies assesses the strength of each company s marketing policy Methods Our initial sample included 142 food and entertainment companies that market food to children: 42 food and beverage manufacturers, 42 chain restaurants, and 58 entertainment companies.2 To identify companies that market food. .. percent of food processors, 50% of restaurants, and only 15% of entertainment companies had good7 nutrition standards or had policies not to market any food to children. 8 Figure 6: Nutrition Standards by Company Type GOOD OR NO MARKETING 100% WEAK VAGUE/NO POLICY 1 percentage of companies 90% 80% 6 5 70% 7 60% 0 50% 40% 30% 4 11 5 20% 10% 2 FOOD AND BEVERAGE RESTAURANT ENTERTAINMENT type of company 7 Overall... Companies with Marketing Policies NO POLICY POLICY number of companies 70 60 50 40 45 30 20 10 32 10 18 10 FOOD AND BEVERAGE (64%) 13 RESTAURANTS (24%) ENTERTAINMENT (22%) type of company (% of companies with marketing policies) Results and Discussion Two-thirds of companies lack a marketing policy Of the 128 companies that we analyzed that market foods to children, one-third (32%) had a policy to govern... a marketing policy, though many marketed to children through advertisements before movie showings, kids’ foods or combo deals at concession stands, kids’ movie clubs, and contests Marketing policies varied by type of media Food manufacturers and restaurants The strength of food manufacturers’ and restaurants’ policies for food marketing to children varied by the type of media (Figure 2) Of the 28 food. .. On- package marketing includes licensed characters, cross-promotions with television shows and movies, company- owned equity characters, games, promotion of company Web sites, images of premium give-aways, contests, and the general design of packaging to make the product stand out and appeal to children In-store promotions include product samples, events, signs, and displays Companies also pay slotting fees to. .. food marketing to children Of 128 companies, 11 refused to participate and 27 contact people did not respond to repeated (more than five) calls, for a response rate of 70% If a contact person did not respond to repeated calls and no marketing policy was identified through the company Web site and Nexis and Google searches, we categorized the company as not having a policy for food marketing to children. .. manufacturers and restaurants with marketing policies had good policies for the use of licensed characters and tie-ins (Figure 2) A common weakness of the policies was that they had vague definitions of when the use of licensed characters would be considered to be directed to children In addition, many of the policies applied only to the use of characters in advertising and not to on- package marketing Finally, . A D+ A- F B+ B- C AN ANALYSIS OF FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY POLICIES REGARDING FOOD AND BEVERAGE MARKETING TO CHILDREN REPORT CARD ON FOOD- MARKETING POLICIES This study on corporate policies on. schools). REPORT CARD ON FOOD- MARKETING POLICIES AN ANALYSIS OF FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY POLICIES REGARDING FOOD AND BEVERAGE MARKETING TO CHILDREN “All companies that market food or beverage. eating and reduce obesity, visit www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy. Report Card on Food- Marketing Policies: An Analysis of Food and Entertainment Company Policies Regarding Food and Beverage Marketing