Sugary Cereal (photo by Darren Hester, courtesy of morguefile.com)

A few months back we wrote that the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that an overwhelming majority of Saturday morning television ads aimed at American children were pitching unhealthy foods.

According to a report on the study by CBS News, “Ninety-one percent (91%) of food advertisements were for foods or beverages high in fat, sodium, or added sugars or were low in nutrients.”

We live in a global age and the shameless marketing of junk food to children is not limited to the United States. The Sidney Morning Herald of Australia reports:

More than half the television advertisements that contain nutrition claims for food promote junk food, research by the NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity has found after studying 714 hours of Sydney TV broadcasts.

The unhealthy foods most advertised for nutritional value were high-sugar, low-fibre breakfast cereals, battered meat, high-fat frozen meals, cakes, muffins, biscuits, pies and snacks such as chips, popcorn and sugar-coated nuts.

Sugary breakfast cereals that offer loads of empty calories but little nutritional benefit particularly stand out because marketers are targeting children with their misleading ads.

If you’d like to read the article in The Sidney Morning Herald cited above go to: Ads turn junk into health food