Children's Perception of Food Marketing Across Digital Media Platforms.

Introduction: Exposure to food marketing increases the risk of poor diet. Children's perception and interpretation of food marketing across digital media platforms is understudied. Children aged 9-11 years are uniquely susceptible to food marketing because children may watch content alone, and it is unclear whether embedded ads are decipherable by children (e.g., social media influencers) and if children are receptive to advertisements. Methods: The authors collected data from 21 child-parent dyads in 2022 to fill this gap. Children were interviewed about their food marketing exposure and media use and were asked to share their perspectives on food advertisements. Parents completed a survey for household digital devices, demographics, and perception of their child's food advertising knowledge. Results: This study found that all children generally recognized direct food advertisements, could describe them with varying levels of confidence, and shared examples. Despite self-identifying ads and understanding the intent of advertising, many children are still receptive to advertisements on the basis of engaging content (e.g., liking the ads as entertainment, watching ads even when given the chance to skip the ad) and the food items marketed (e.g., liking the taste of foods). Conclusions: These findings suggest that knowledge of advertisement exposure and intent of advertising are not sufficient to reduce receptiveness of unhealthy food ad exposure. Additional research on the potential impacts of embedded ads, such as through social media influencers, is needed to understand children's interaction with the current digital media landscape.

Differences in children's exposure to television advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages in Spain by socio-economic level.

BACKGROUND: The influence of food advertising on food preferences and consumption could also contribute to the socio-economic inequalities among Spanish children in terms of eating habits and childhood obesity. Although the main food advertising channel targeted at children in Spain is television, available studies estimate exposure indirectly by combining content data with audience data. The aim of this study was therefore to describe the frequency of exposure to television advertising of unhealthy foods and drinks, measured directly, among Spanish children and adolescents, and analyse its socio-economic inequalities. METHODS: Observational study of television advertising impacts in a sample of 1590 children aged 4 to 16 years drawn from a consumer panel representative of the Spanish population in this age group, over the course of a full week of broadcasting in February 2022. The sample was obtained through stratified random sampling by Autonomous Region, with quotas being set by reference to socio-demographic variables. Exposure was measured with an audiometer, and the nutrient content of the food and drink advertised was analysed using the nutrient profile of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. We used the Chi-squared test to analyse possible differences in advertising coverage by socio-economic level. RESULTS: The participants saw a weekly mean of 82.4 food and drink commercials, 67.4 of which were for unhealthy products (81.8%), mostly outside the child-protection time slot. On average, low-social class participants received 94.4% more impacts from unhealthy food and drink advertising than did high-class participants (99.9 vs. 51.4 respectively). The mean advertising coverage of unhealthy foods and drinks was 71.6% higher in low-class than in high-class participants (10.9% vs. 18.7%; p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Spanish children and adolescents received an average of 10 impacts per day from television spots for unhealthy foods and drinks. The exposure of low-class children is double that of high-class children, a finding compatible with the high prevalence of childhood obesity in Spain and the related socio-economic inequalities. To protect Spanish minors from the harmful effects of food advertising and reduce the related social health inequalities would require the implementation of a 24:00 watershed for unhealthy food advertising on television.

Associations between everyday exposure to food marketing and hunger and food craving in adults: An ecological momentary assessment study.

Food marketing in television and digital media negatively affects appetitive sensations and eating behaviour in children, but effects are less well understood for outdoor food advertising and adults. This research used Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to explore associations between exposures to food advertising in various contexts (television, digital, outdoors) and adults' hunger and craving for highly advertised food categories. Over one week, participants provided ratings of cravings for types of food (fast food, soft drinks, snacks/confectionery, other) and hunger on a smartphone app up to six times per day when they saw a food advertisement (reactive assessment) and at random intervals (random assessment). Fifty-four participants (70.4 % female; 21.24 ± 3.84 years) provided 1223 assessments (24.7 % reactive, 75.3 % random). Data were analysed in R using multilevel multivariable linear regression models. Participants reported feeling hungrier (X2(1) = 5.85, p = .016, ΔAIC = 3.9) and having stronger cravings (X2(1) = 20.64, p < .001, ΔAIC = 318.6) after seeing food advertisements vs. random assessments. This was driven by greater hunger following television advertising exposure vs. random assessments (ß = 1.58, SE = 0.61, p = .010, 95 %CIs 0.38 to 2.78), food advertising via digital devices or outdoors was not associated with hunger. Participants experienced stronger craving after seeing a food advertisement on television (ß = 0.52, SE = 0.19, p = .006, 95 %CIs 0.15 to 0.89), outdoors (ß = 0.39, SE = 0.12, p < .001, 95 % CIs 0.16 to 0.62) and in digital media (ß = 0.36, SE = 0.14, p = .012, 95 % CIs 0.08 to 0.64), vs. random assessments. Cravings were (largely) specific to the advertised food category. EMA can be effective for assessing food marketing associations in adults. The current study provides evidence that food marketing is associated with hunger and craving in adults, which may, with replication, have implications for public health policy.

Exposure and power of TV food advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: a content analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the Brazilian population has increased the time spent at home and watching television (TV). Since food advertising exposure is a key driver of food choices, this study described the content of food advertisements (ads) on Brazilian TV during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is an exploratory study. A total of 684 h of TV programming comprised of three free-to-air channels and two pay-per-view channels was recorded from 06 a.m. to 12 a.m. for eight non-consecutive days in June 2020. A content analysis of all the food-related ads was carried out. The data collection process followed INFORMAS Protocol for TV food advertising monitoring. RESULTS: The sample was composed of 7,083 ads, 752 (10.6%) of which were food-related and 487 (6.9%) were promoting ultra-processed foods. The content analysis indicated seven thematic categories, all of them with reference to the COVID-19 pandemic: brand and product differentials (79.8%); visual and sound effects (70.2%); thematic campaigns (56.0%); digitization (22.9%); convenience (16.5%); economic benefits (11.9%); and commensality and social interaction (6.1%). Ads content varied according to the day of the week, the time of the day, the length of the ad, and the channel type. CONCLUSIONS: The thematic of food advertising on Brazilian TV during the COVID-19 pandemic is aligned with the country's health crisis context and varied during the programming.

Revolutionising food advertising monitoring: a machine learning-based method for automated classification of food videos.

OBJECTIVE: Food advertising is an important determinant of unhealthy eating. However, analysing a large number of advertisements (ads) to distinguish between food and non-food content is a challenging task. This study aims to develop a machine learning-based method to automatically identify and classify food and non-food ad videos. DESIGN: Methodological study to develop an algorithm model that prioritises both accuracy and efficiency in monitoring and classifying advertising videos. SETTING: From a collection of Brazilian television (TV) ads data, we created a database and split it into three sub-databases (i.e. training, validation and test) by extracting frames from ads. Subsequently, the training database was classified using the EfficientNet neural network. The best models and data-balancing strategies were investigated using the validation database. Finally, the test database was used to apply the best model and strategy, and results were verified with field experts. PARTICIPANTS: The study used 2124 recorded Brazilian TV programming hours from 2018 to 2020. It included 703 food ads and over 20 000 non-food ads, following the protocol developed by the INFORMAS network for monitoring food marketing on TV. RESULTS: The results showed that the EfficientNet neural network associated with the balanced batches strategy achieved an overall accuracy of 90·5 % on the test database, which represents a reduction of 99·9 % of the time spent on identifying and classifying ads. CONCLUSIONS: The method studied represents a promising approach for differentiating food and non-food-related video within monitoring food marketing, which has significant practical implications for researchers, public health policymakers, and regulatory bodies.

Monitoring Food Marketing Directed to Portuguese Children Broadcasted on Television.

Children are massively exposed to food marketing through television and other forms of media. Marketing strategies promote unhealthy eating behaviours and contribute to childhood obesity. The main aim of this study was to assess the potential exposure and power of food advertisements aimed at children, broadcasted on Portuguese television. Television data was recorded for two weekdays and two weekend days between 6 am and 10 pm during November 2021 from four free-access Portuguese television channels. Data was analysed according to the World Health Organization television protocol and Portuguese Legislation. We identified 5272 advertisements, of which 11.2% were for food and beverages (n = 590). Most advertised food categories for children and adolescents were chocolate and bakery products (42.0%), soft drinks (26.7%), and yoghurt (16.0%), and none met the nutritional profile outlined by the national legislation. Unhealthier food advertisements targeting youth were shown in children's non-peak time and morning during news and entertainment programmes. Product uniqueness, humour, and fun were the most frequent primary persuasive techniques. Most advertisements showed a high use of brand logos, product images, and premium offers. In conclusion, Portuguese children and adolescents are potentially exposed to large numbers of unhealthy food advertisements on television, despite marketing regulation and restriction policies.

Young adults' sought gratifications from, and perceptions of food advertising by, social media influencers: a qualitative approach.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore young adults' sought gratifications from social media influencers and whether they are exposed to food advertising by influencers. Further, it aims to understand how young individuals perceive food advertisements by social media influencers. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted on 17 students from two public universities-King Abdul Aziz and Jeddah universities-located in the City of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using in-depth, face-to-face, and semi-structured interviews. The participants were active users of social media platforms who followed at least one influencer. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The COREQ guidelines for reporting qualitative research (see Additional file 2) were followed when stating the findings. RESULTS: The findings reveal ten themes, that is, seven gratifications sought by young adults-broadening knowledge, perceived usefulness, self-improvement, boosting positivity, fostering morale, reinforcing inspiration, and passing time/enjoyment-and three themes (i.e. repeated, authentic, and unhealthy) that describe how Saudi young adults perceive food advertising. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to social media influencer marketing by identifying the factors that motivate young consumers to follow influencers, and it elucidates the extent to which young adults are exposed to food marketing, adding to the body of literature on food advertising.

Food for thought or food for emotions? An analysis of marketing strategies in television food advertising seen by children in Colombia.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the relationship between the marketing strategies and nutritional quality of foods and beverages promoted in television food advertisements (TV ads) seen by Colombian child audiences overall and based on child gender and socio-economic strata (SES). DESIGN: A quantitative content analysis of marketing appeals was combined with nutritional data of the food products advertised and matched with TV audience ratings data for each food and beverage ads for Colombian children between 4 and 11 years. SETTING: All beverages and foods TV ads cable or over-the-air channels in Colombia in 2017. PARTICIPANTS: N/A. RESULTS: Compared with rational appeals (e.g. freshness, health or nutrition messages), emotional appeals (referencing or depicting human senses or emotions, e.g. using cartoons to suggest fun) were more frequently used in the TV ads most viewed by Colombian children. Female children and children in lower SES tended to be more exposed to emotional appeals in TV ads than their male or higher SES counterparts. Furthermore, TV ads using more emotional appeals tended to be for products high in problematic nutrients. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study highlight the need to implement statutory measures to reduce the deleterious effect of food marketing on children.

A Proposed Strategy against Obesity: How Government Policy Can Counter the Obesogenic Environment.

An epidemic of obesity emerged in the USA in 1976-1980. The epidemic then spread to many other Westernized nations. Many interventions have been carried out with the goal of lowering the prevalence of obesity. These have mostly taken the form of various types of health promotion (i.e., providing people with education, advice, and encouragement). These actions have achieved, at most, only limited success. A strategy with a better chance of success starts with the recognition that the fundamental cause of obesity is that we live in an obesogenic environment. It is therefore necessary to change the environment so that it fosters a generally healthy lifestyle, thereby leading to enhanced health for the population, including improved weight control. A major goal is to increase the intake of healthy foods (especially fruit, vegetables, and whole grains), while decreasing intake of unhealthy foods (especially ultra-processed foods such as sugar). This will require major changes of many government policies. Some of the required policies are as follows. Schools should implement policies that create a healthy environment for children. For example, they should adopt a policy that only foods of high nutritional quality are sold in vending machines or given to students within school meals. Policies need to go well beyond the school setting; a broad strategy is needed that creates a healthy environment for children. Another important policy is the manipulation of food prices in order to shift the diet toward healthy foods. This requires using subsidies to lower the price of healthy foods, while adding a tax to less healthy foods to increase the price. This policy has been implemented in many cities and countries in the form of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). The advertising of unhealthy foods (including fast-food restaurants) should be banned, especially where children and adolescents are the major target. Such a ban could be extended to a complete ban on all advertising for unhealthy foods, including that directed at adults. The proposed policy measures are likely to be strongly opposed by food corporations.

Sex differences in children's exposure to food and beverage advertisements on broadcast television in four cities in Canada. / Différences entre les sexes dans l'exposition des enfants aux publicités d'aliments et de boissons diffusées à la télévision dans quatre villes du Canada.

INTRODUCTION: Sex differences exist in children's obesity rates, dietary patterns and television viewing. Television continues to be a source of unhealthy food advertising exposure to children in Canada. Our objective was to examine sex differences in food advertising exposure in children aged 2 to 17 years across four Canadian English language markets. METHODS: We licensed 24-hour television advertising data from the company Numerator for January through December 2019, in four cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Montréal and Toronto) across Canada. Child food advertising exposure overall, by food category, television station, Health Canada's proposed nutrient profiling model, and marketing techniques were examined on the 10 most popular television stations among children and compared by sex. Advertising exposure was estimated using gross rating points, and sex differences were described using relative and absolute differences. RESULTS: Both male and female children were exposed to an elevated level of unhealthy food advertising and a plethora of marketing techniques across all four cities. Differences between sexes were evident between and within cities. Compared to females, males in Vancouver and Montréal viewed respectively 24.7% and 24.0% more unhealthy food ads/person/year and were exposed to 90.2 and 133.4 more calls to action, 93.3 and 97.8 more health appeals, and 88.4 and 81.0 more products that appeal to children. CONCLUSION: Television is a significant source of children's exposure to food advertising, with clear sex differences. Policy makers need to consider sex when developing food advertising restrictions and monitoring efforts.

Restricting child-directed ads is effective, but adding a time-based ban is better: evaluating a multi-phase regulation to protect children from unhealthy food marketing on television.

BACKGROUND: As childhood obesity rates continue to rise, health organizations have called for regulations that protect children from exposure to unhealthy food marketing. In this study, we evaluate the impact of child-based versus time-based restrictions of "high-in" food and beverage advertising in Chile, which first restricted the placement of "high-in" advertisements (ads) in television attracting children and the use of child-directed content in high-in ads and, second, banned high-in ads from 6am-10pm. "High-in" refers to products above regulation-defined thresholds in energy, saturated fats, sugars, and/or sodium. High-in advertising prevalence and children's exposure to high-in advertising are assessed. METHODS: We analyzed a random stratified sample of advertising from two constructed weeks of television at pre-regulation (2016), after Phase 1 child-based advertising restrictions (2017, 2018), and after the Phase 2 addition of a 6am-10pm high-in advertising ban (2019). High-in ad prevalence in post-regulation years were compared to prior years to assess changes in prevalence. We also analyzed television ratings data for the 4-12 year-old child audience to estimate children's ad exposure. RESULTS: Compared to pre-regulation, high-in ads decreased after Phase 1 (2017) by 42% across television (41% between 6am-10pm, 44% from 10pm-12am) and 29% in programs attracting children (P < 0.01). High-in ads further decreased after Phase 2, reaching a 64% drop from pre-regulation across television (66% between 6am-10pm, 56% from 10pm-12am) and a 77% drop in programs attracting children (P < 0.01). High-in ads with child-directed ad content also dropped across television in Phase 1 (by 41%) and Phase 2 (by 67%), compared to pre-regulation (P < 0.01). Except for high-in ads from 10pm-12am, decreases in high-in ads between Phase 1 (2018) and Phase 2 were significant (P < 0.01). Children's high-in ad exposure decreased by 57% after Phase 1 and by 73% after Phase 2 (P < 0.001), compared to pre-regulation. CONCLUSIONS: Chile's regulation most effectively reduced children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing with combined child-based and time-based restrictions. Challenges remain with compliance and limits in the regulation, as high-in ads were not eliminated from television. Yet, having a 6am-10pm ban is clearly critical for maximizing the design and implementation of policies that protect children from unhealthy food marketing.

Supermarket promotions in Western Sweden are incompatible with Nordic dietary recommendations and differ by area-level socioeconomic index.

BACKGROUND: Large supermarket chains produce weekly advertisements to promote foods and influence consumer purchases. The broad consumer reach of these ads presents an opportunity to promote foods that align with dietary recommendations. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the health quality of supermarkets' weekly food promotions in a large region of Sweden with attention to more and less advantaged socioeconomic index areas. METHODS: Analysis of weekly advertisements from 122 individual stores, representing seven chains, was carried out in a large region of Sweden from 2-29 March in 2020. Food promotions were divided into categories according to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations and World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe's nutrient profile model, and defined as 'most healthy', 'healthy', 'unhealthy' and 'most unhealthy'. A mean socioeconomic index was used to classify each store location to determine whether proportions of the 'most unhealthy' foods differed between more advantaged and more disadvantaged socioeconomic index areas. RESULTS: In total, 29,958 food items were analyzed. Two-thirds of promotions belonged to the food groups considered 'most unhealthy' and 'unhealthy'. In the 'most unhealthy' food group 'sugar-rich beverages and foods' constituted approximately 23.0% of the promotions. Food promotions had 25% increased odds to be from the 'most unhealthy' group (odds ratio 1.25, confidence interval 1.17, 1.33) in more disadvantaged socioeconomic index areas. This association could be explained by the supermarket chain the stores belonged to. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that Swedish supermarkets promote a large proportion of unhealthy foods as classified by the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. We also observe that certain national supermarket chains tend to locate their stores in more disadvantaged areas and promote a greater proportion of unhealthy foods in their weekly advertisements compared to the more advantaged areas. There is an urgent need for supermarkets to shift promotions toward healthier food items.

Broadcast Television Is Not Dead: Exposure of Children to Unhealthy Food and Beverage Advertising on Television in Two Policy Environments (Ontario and Quebec). An Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Food marketing can influence children's dietary behaviors. In Canada, Quebec banned commercial advertising to children under the age of 13 y in 1980, whereas advertising to children is self-regulated by industry in the rest of the country. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the extent and power of food and beverage advertising on television to children (age: 2-11 y) in two different policy environments (Ontario and Quebec). METHODS: Advertising data for 57 selected food and beverage categories were licensed from Numerator for Toronto and Montreal (English and French markets) from January to December 2019. The 10 most popular stations for children (age: 2-11 y) and a subset of child-appealing stations were examined. Exposure to food advertisements (ads) was based on gross rating points. A content analysis of food ads was conducted, and the healthfulness of ads was assessed using Health Canada's proposed nutrient profile model. Descriptive statistics were tabulated for the frequency of and exposure to ads. RESULTS: On average, children were exposed to 3.7 to 4.4 food and beverage ads per day, exposure to fast-food advertising was highest (670.7-550.6 ads per year), advertising techniques were used frequently, and the majority (>90%) of advertised products were classified as unhealthy. On the top 10 stations, French children in Montreal were most exposed to unhealthy food and beverage advertising (712.3 ads per year), although they were exposed to fewer child-appealing advertising techniques compared with those in other markets. On the child-appealing stations, French children in Montreal were least exposed to food and beverage advertising (43.6 ads per year per station) and child-appealing advertising techniques compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: The Consumer Protection Act appears to positively impact exposure to child-appealing stations; yet, it does not sufficiently protect all children in Quebec and requires strengthening. Federal-level regulations restricting unhealthy advertising are needed to protect children across Canada.

The Effects of Food Advertisements on Food Intake and Neural Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Recent Experimental Studies.

Food advertisements are ubiquitous in our daily environment. However, the relationships between exposure to food advertising and outcomes related to ingestive behavior require further investigation. The objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of behavioral and neural responses to food advertising in experimental studies. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for articles published from January 2014 to November 2021 using a search strategy following PRISMA guidelines. Experimental studies conducted with human participants were included. A random-effects inverse-variance meta-analysis was performed on standardized mean differences (SMD) of food intake (behavioral outcome) between the food advertisement and nonfood advertisement conditions of each study. Subgroup analyses were performed by age, BMI group, study design, and advertising media type. A seed-based d mapping meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies was performed to evaluate neural activity between experimental conditions. Nineteen articles were eligible for inclusion, 13 for food intake (n = 1303) and 6 for neural activity (n = 303). The pooled analysis of food intake revealed small, but statistically significant, effects of increased intake after viewing food advertising compared with the control condition among adults and children (adult SMD: 0.16; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.28; P = 0.01; I2 = 0; 95% CI: 0, 95.0%; Children SMD: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.37; P < 0.0001; I2 = 60.4%; 95% CI: 25.6%, 79.0%). The neuroimaging studies involved children only, and the pooled analysis corrected for multiple comparisons identified one significant cluster, the middle occipital gyrus, with increased activity after food advertising exposure compared with the control condition (peak coordinates: 30, -86, 12; z-value: 6.301, size: 226 voxels; P < 0.001). These findings suggest that acute exposure to food advertising increases food intake among children and adults and that the middle occipital gyrus is an implicated brain region among children. (PROSPERO registration: CRD42022311357).

A Scoping Review of Observational Studies on Food and Beverage Advertising on Social Media: A Public Health Perspective.

Popular social media platforms have been actively used by ultra-processed food companies to promote their products. Being exposed to this type of advertising increases the consumption of unhealthy foods and the risk of developing obesity and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Thus, monitoring commercial content on social media is a core public health practice. We aimed to characterize the methods used for monitoring food advertising on social media and summarize the investigated advertising strategies via a scoping review of observational studies. This study is reported according to the MOOSE Statement, and its protocol was registered with the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (registration nº. CRD42020187740). Out of the 6093 citations retrieved, 26 met our eligibility criteria. The studies were published from 2014 to 2021, mostly after 2018. They focused on Australia, Facebook, strategies aimed at children and adolescents, and advertising practices of ultra-processed food companies. We grouped strategies in eight classes: post features (n = 18); connectivity and engagement (n = 18); economic advantages, gifts, or competitions (n = 14); claims (n = 14); promotional characters (n = 12); brand in evidence (n = 8); corporate social responsibility or philanthropy (n = 7); and COVID-19 (n = 3). We found similarities in the investigation of strategies regardless of the type of social media. Our findings can contribute to the designing of tools for monitoring studies and regulatory mechanisms to restrict the exposure of food advertising.

Prevalence of food and beverage brands in "made-for-kids" child-influencer YouTube videos: 2019-2020.

BACKGROUND: Child health experts raise numerous concerns about the negative effects of children's exposure to unhealthy digital food marketing, including advertising and branded product placements on child-oriented videos. OBJECTIVES: YouTube banned food advertising on "made-for-kids" channels in 2020, but research is needed to assess food-related appearances on increasingly popular child-influencer videos. METHODS: Content analysis examined a sample of videos (n = 400) uploaded in 2019-2020 by popular child-influencers on YouTube "made-for-kids" channels. We identified and coded all branded and non-branded food-related appearances (i.e., food, beverages, restaurants), ads, promotions, and sponsorship disclosures, and compared 2019 to 2020. RESULTS: Two-thirds of videos (n = 260) had at least one food-related appearance, including branded product appearances (n = 153), other brand appearances (n = 60), and non-branded food-related appearances (n = 203). Branded products appeared 592 times (M = 3.9/video), including candy brands (42% of appearances) and sweet/salty snacks, sugary drinks, and ice cream (32% combined). Total food-related appearances did not change (2019-2020), but candy brand appearances increased significantly. Videos with non-branded healthy food category appearances also increased, but 70% also showed unhealthy branded and/or unbranded foods. Just one video disclosed a food-brand sponsorship. CONCLUSIONS: Additional policies are needed to protect young children from potential exposure to unhealthy branded foods on popular YouTube child-influencer channels.

Alimentação saudável em encartes de supermercados: reflexões segundo a classificação de alimentos adotada no Guia Alimentar para a População Brasileira / Healthy eating in supermarket circulars: reflections according to the food classification adopted in dietary guidelines for the Brazilian population

Resumo O estudo visa avaliar a promoção dos subgrupos de AIN/MP anunciados em encartes de supermercados, considerando as características das redes e a tipologia dos encartes. Foram analisados encartes de cinco redes de supermercados da região metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro (junho/2019-maio/2020). Foram apresentados dados de abrangência e perfil socioeconômico das redes e tipo de encarte. Dos 68.110 alimentos, 30,6% são AIN/MP. Carnes/ovos foram mais promovidos (42,3%), seguido de frutas/hortaliças (20,2%) anunciados mais em encartes de hortifruti. Laticínios; cereais/farinhas/massas e bebidas/infusões representaram cerca de 10,0% dos anúncios. Leguminosas (3,8%), especiarias e cogumelos (0,2%) e oleaginosas (0,1%) foram pouco promovidos. Foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas na promoção de subgrupos segundo abrangência e perfil socioeconômico das redes. Frutas/hortaliças foram mais anunciadas em redes nacionais e voltadas para o público de alta renda em comparação às locais e voltadas para um público de média/baixa renda. Constatou-se desequilíbrio na promoção dos subgrupos de AIN/MP, com diferenças entre as redes e os tipos de encartes. Diante disto, deve-se dar luz à discussão sobre a regulação da promoção de alimentos no varejo alimentar.

Abstract The present study evaluated the promotion of natural/minimally processed foods (N/MPF) subgroups advertised in supermarket circulars by considering supermarket features and circular typology. We analyzed circulars published by five supermarket chains in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro (June/2019-May/2020) and present data on the socioeconomic coverage and profile of the supermarkets and the types of circulars. Of the 68,110 types of foods, 30.6% were N/MPF. Meat/eggs were the most promoted ones (42.3%), followed by fruits/vegetables (20.2%), which were more often advertised by produce shop circulars. Dairy products, cereals/flours/pasta and beverages/infusions made up around 10.0% of the ads. Legumes (3.8%), spices and mushrooms (0.2%) and oilseeds (0.1%) were rarely promoted. Statistically significant differences were found in the promotion of subgroups according to supermarket coverage and their socioeconomic profiles. Fruits/vegetables were more often advertised by national chains and aimed at a high-income public than by local companies and aimed at a low/middle-income public. Promotion of N/MPF subgroups was disproportional due to differences among chains and types of circulars. As a result, a discussion on the regulation of food promotion in food retail is required.

Análise de propostas legislativas brasileiras sobre a publicidade de alimentos / Analysis of Brazilian legislative proposals on food advertising

Introdução: O consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados está crescendo no Brasil e tem como um de seus determinantes a exposição à publicidade de alimentos não saudáveis, especialmente de crianças. Apesar disso, as normas brasileiras governamentais não têm se mostrado efetivas na proteção da exposição da população ao conteúdo de publicidade desses alimentos, enquanto a atuação autorregulatória apresenta limitações. Conhecer as propostas legislativas brasileiras no tema tornará possível pensar caminhos para a redução da exposição da população ao conteúdo publicitário sobre alimentos não saudáveis. Objetivo: Analisar a conteúdo de propostas legislativas sobre a publicidade de alimentos no Brasil. Metodologia: Este estudo de análise documental se dividiu na (i) construção de um glossário com termos específicos das áreas de saúde pública, nutrição, publicidade e legislação, a fim de oferecer um referencial terminológico para a análise, e na (ii) coleta, organização e compilação de um banco de textos, permitindo análises quantitativas e qualitativas dos dados de propostas legislativas de publicidade de alimentos. Foram utilizados três tipos de análise: Classificação Hierárquica Descendente, Análise Fatorial Confirmatória e Análise de Similitude, com auxílio do software IRAMUTEQ. O banco de textos foi organizado a partir da coleta de dados no site do Congresso Nacional, usando-se os termos de busca "marketing de alimentos", "propaganda de alimentos", "publicidade de alimentos", "promoção de alimentos", "comunicação mercadológica" e "divulgação de alimentos". Resultados: Foi produzido um glossário com 29 termos a fim de clarificar conceitos relacionados à regulação de publicidade de alimentos em território nacional. O banco de textos foi composto por 19 resultados relevantes. As propostas analisadas possuem cerca de 20 anos, sendo que a maioria das iniciativas vêm da Câmara dos Deputados. Seis das propostas estabelecem atualização do Decreto-Lei Nº 986/1969. Dentre os textos mais significativos, destaca-se uma proposta de emenda constitucional que incluiria alimentos e bebidas na lista de produtos sujeitos a regulamentações de publicidade comercial e quatro propostas similares que contemplam a regulamentação da publicidade de forma ampla. Apenas duas propostas estão em tramitação. Durante a análise textual, foram identificadas quatro grandes classes temáticas: Saúde (37,3% do corpus analisado), Regulamento (35,4%), Aspecto Comercial (12,9%) e Teor Nutricional (14,5%). A classe Saúde corresponde a palavras relacionadas a sintomas de uma população ligados ao consumo de alimentos não-saudáveis. A classe Regulamento contém palavras que se referem a regulamentação legislativa sobre publicidade. A classe Aspecto Comercial, como o nome diz, inclui palavras que se referem a aspectos comerciais dos alimentos (ex: rótulo, aditivo, sabor). A classe Teor Nutricional apresenta termos relacionados a informação nutricional dos alimentos. A análise fatorial confirmatória corroborou a distribuição de palavras em quatro classes temáticas. A análise de similitude identificou cinco ramificações principais a partir da palavra central "alimento", que se relacionam com a legislação, propaganda, público infantil, obesidade e gordura/trans/saturado/sódio. Conclusão: As análises indicam que as propostas são alinhadas à tendências globais sobre medidas de prevenção à obesidade. Contudo, a tramitação de projetos é lenta e complexa, além de sofrer interferências de setores econômicos.

Introduction: The consumption of ultra-processed foods is growing in Brazil, and one of its determinants is the exposure to unhealthy food advertising, especially targeting children. However, Brazilian government regulations have not proven effective in protecting the population from the content of advertising for these foods, while selfregulation has its limitations. Understanding the Brazilian legislative proposals on this topic will make it possible to consider paths to reduce the population's exposure to advertising content on unhealthy foods. Objective: To analyze the content of legislative proposals on food advertising in Brazil. Methodology: This document analysis study was divided into (i) the construction of a glossary with specific terms from the fields of public health, nutrition, advertising, and legislation to provide a terminological framework for the analysis, and (ii) the collection, organization, and compilation of a text database, allowing for quantitative and qualitative analyses of legislative proposals on food advertising. Three types of analysis were used: Descendant Hierarchical Classification, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Similarity Analysis, with the assistance of the software IRAMUTEQ. The text database was organized based on data collected from the website of the National Congress, using the search terms "food marketing," "food advertising," "food promotion," "commercial communication," and "food disclosure." Results: A glossary was produced with 29 terms to clarify concepts related to the regulation of food advertising in the national territory. The text database consisted of 19 relevant results. The analyzed proposals are approximately 20 years old, with the majority of initiatives coming from the Chamber of Deputies. Six of the proposals establish updates to Decree-Law No. 986/1969. Among the most significant texts, there is a proposed constitutional amendment that would include food and beverages in the list of products subject to regulations on commercial advertising, as well as four similar proposals that address advertising regulation broadly. Only two proposals are currently under consideration. During the textual analysis, four major thematic classes were identified: Health (37.3% of the analyzed corpus), Regulation (35.4%), Commercial Aspect (12.9%), and Nutritional Content (14.5%). The Health class corresponds to words related to symptoms of a population associated with the consumption of unhealthy foods. The Regulation class contains words referring to legislative regulation on advertising. The Commercial Aspect class includes words related to commercial aspects of foods (e.g., labeling, additives, flavor). The Nutritional Content class presents terms related to nutritional information of foods. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the distribution of words into these four thematic classes. The similarity analysis identified five main branches from the central word "food," which are related to legislation, advertising, children as the target audience, obesity, and fat/trans/saturated/sodium. Conclusion: The analyses indicate that the proposals align with global trends regarding obesity prevention measures. However, project processing is slow and complex, and it faces interference from economic sectors.

Food advertising on YouTube channels aimed at children in Brazil / Publicidade de alimentos em canais do YouTube direcionados à criança no Brasil

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze food advertising on YouTube channels aimed at children in Brazil and the interaction of the public with this type of advertising. METHODS We analyzed the 10 most popular videos from the 25 YouTube most-watched channels with content aimed at children in the country in 2018. The presence of general advertising, food brands and food services was identified. When there was advertising in the videos, the foods and their respective brands were described, the first being classified according to the NOVA system. In cases of advertising of a specific food brand without its product having been displayed or mentioned, the classification was carried out according to the predominance of that company products. The number of visualizations and interactions ("likes" and "dislikes") was also collected. RESULTS General advertising was identified in 45.6% of videos, while food and food service advertising was present in 12.9% and 1.6% of videos, respectively. Food advertisements were mostly represented by ultra-processed products (n = 30; 93.8%). In channels led by Kid YouTubers, there was a higher frequency of general advertising, food and food services in the videos. In these channels, the advertisements of food in general and ultra-processed foods were respectively 2.79 and 2.53 times higher than in videos of channels not led by Kid YouTubers. The number of times videos were tagged "liked" was higher in videos with food advertising (1.67 × 105) compared to videos without food advertising (1.02 × 105), p = 0.0272. CONCLUSION YouTube is a potential medium for children's exposure and interaction with ultra-processed food advertising. The results of this analysis reinforce the importance of enforcing regulations prohibiting children's advertising on this platform.

RESUMO OBJETIVO Analisar a publicidade de alimentos em canais do YouTube direcionados à criança no Brasil e a interação do público com esse tipo de publicidade. MÉTODOS Foram analisados os 10 vídeos mais populares dos 25 canais do YouTube com conteúdo dirigido ao público infantil mais assistidos no país em 2018. Identificou-se a presença de publicidade geral, de marcas de alimentos e de serviços de alimentação. Quando houve publicidade nos vídeos, os alimentos e suas respectivas marcas foram descritos, sendo os primeiros classificados segundo o sistema NOVA. Nos casos de publicidade de uma marca de alimentos específica, sem que o seu produto tenha sido exibido ou mencionado, a classificação foi realizada segundo a predominância dos produtos dessa empresa. Coletou-se, também, o número de visualizações e de interações ("gostei" e "não gostei"). RESULTADOS A publicidade geral foi identificada em 45,6% dos vídeos, enquanto a publicidade de alimentos e de serviços de alimentação esteve presente em 12,9% e 1,6% dos vídeos, respectivamente. Os anúncios de alimentos foram representados em sua maioria por produtos ultraprocessados (n = 30; 93,8%). Em vídeos de canais liderados por youtubers mirins, observou-se uma maior frequência de publicidade geral, de alimentos e de serviços de alimentação. Nesses canais, as veiculações de publicidade de alimentos em geral e de alimentos ultraprocessados foram respectivamente 2,79 e 2,53 vezes maior do que nos vídeos de canais não liderados por youtubers mirins. O número de vezes em que os vídeos foram marcados com "gostei" foi maior nos vídeos com publicidade de alimentos (1,67 × 105) em comparação aos vídeos sem publicidade de alimentos (1,02 × 105), p = 0,0272. CONCLUSÃO O YouTube é um potencial meio de exposição e interação de crianças com a publicidade de alimentos ultraprocessados. Os resultados desta análise reforçam a importância de fazer cumprir a regulamentação de proibição de publicidade infantil nessa plataforma.

Marketing communication strategies on labels of food products consumed by children / Estratégias de comunicação mercadológica em rótulos de alimentos consumidos por crianças

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: Analyze marketing communication strategies (MCS) of labels of food products consumed by children under 5 years of age from the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. METHODS: In total, 390 labels of ultra-processed foods and industrialized baby foods were analyzed. The products were organized by similarity into 24 groups. Photographs of labels from each group were analyzed to identify the MCS, which were categorized into "presence of characters and/or celebrities," "emotional appeal," "freebies offering," "health appeal," "sensory stimulation," "brand or slogan use," "promotional price," "advertisement under advertisement," and "sustainability appeal." The percentage frequency of labels according to the number of MCS per label; the total and average frequency of MCS according to the food group; the frequency of MCS type according to the food group; and communication resources by type of MCS were computed. RESULTS: 1 to 19 strategies were found per label and an average of 7.2 MCS per label, totaling 2,792 occurrences. The MCS "sensory stimulation," "health appeal," "brand or slogan use," and "advertisement under advertising" were observed in all food groups. "Freebies offering" and "promotional price" were observed in eight and six food groups, respectively. In food groups of bread; dairy products; and sweets, candies, and goodies, all nine types of MCS included in the study were identified. The groups that presented fewer types of MCS (n=5) were: peanuts, instant noodles, and margarines. Of the total MCS identified on the labels, the most frequent were "sensory stimulation" (29.4%) and "health appeal" (18.2%); and the least frequent were "freebies offering" (0.8%) and "promotional price" (0.4%). The "emotional appeal" strategy presented the highest diversity of communication resources. CONCLUSION: Rigorous regulatory measures are required to protect consumers from massive exposure to MCS on food labels.

RESUMO OBJETIVO: Analisar estratégias de comunicação mercadológica (ECM) presentes em rótulos de produtos efetivamente consumidos por crianças menores de 5 anos usuárias do Sistema Único de Saúde na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. MÉTODOS: Foram analisados 390 rótulos de alimentos ultraprocessados e papas infantis industrializadas. Os produtos foram organizados por similaridade em 24 grupos. Realizou-se a análise das fotografias dos rótulos de cada grupo para a identificação das ECM, que foram categorizadas em: "presença de personagens e/ou celebridades", "apelo emocional", "oferta de brindes", "apelo à saúde", "estímulos aos sentidos", "uso da marca ou slogan", "preço promocional", "propaganda sob propaganda" e "apelo à sustentabilidade". Foram computadas: frequência percentual de rótulos segundo número de ECM por rótulo; frequência total e média de ECM segundo grupo de alimentos; frequência do tipo de ECM segundo grupo de alimentos; e recursos comunicacionais por tipo de ECM. RESULTADOS: Constataram-se de uma a 19 estratégias por rótulo e média de 7,2 ECM por rótulo, totalizando 2.792 ocorrências. As ECM "estímulo aos sentidos", "apelo à saúde", "uso da marca ou slogan" e "propaganda sob propaganda" foram observadas em todos os grupos de alimentos. Já "oferta de brindes" e "preço promocional" apareceram em oito e seis grupos de alimentos, respectivamente. Nos grupos pães, lácteos e doces, balas e guloseimas, foram identificados os nove tipos de ECM incluídos no estudo. Os grupos que apresentaram menos tipos de ECM (n = 5) foram: amendoins, macarrões instantâneos e margarinas. Do total de ECM identificadas nos rótulos, as mais recorrentes foram "estímulo aos sentidos" (29,4%) e "apelo à saúde" (18,2%); e as menos frequentes foram "oferta de brindes" (0,8%) e "preço promocional" (0,4%). A ECM "apelo emocional" apresentou a maior diversidade de recursos comunicacionais. CONCLUSÃO: São necessárias medidas regulatórias rigorosas que protejam o consumidor da massiva exposição às ECM em rótulos de alimentos.