A study carried out by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think tank, found that almost two-thirds of the foods advertised on the children’s network Nickelodeon were for junk food, such as Baby Bottle Pops, Frosted Flakes and Fruit Gushers. The nutrition watchdog reported no ads for fruits or vegetables had been aired during the study.
Though the percentage of unhealthy food ads on the network dropped to 65% in 2015 from 88% in 2005, Nickelodeon and its parent company, Viacom VIA, can do more, said Jessica Almy, CSPI’s deputy director of nutrition policy. Doing otherwise would be failing children and their parents, she added.
“Kids see these ads and clearly make requests for particular products,” Almy said. “No one should be advertising junk food for kids.” CSPI examined 28 hours of the network’s programming, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. on one weekday and then again on a day during the weekend.
Nickelodeon and Viacom did not respond to a request for comment.
Unhealthy food and beverage ads directly affect children and their diets in a negative way, according to research from McMaster University in Ontario in July. The study found children’s dietary preferences were influenced by these ads, which coincides with obesity in children.
