Targeted Tots (photo by ccmackay, courtesy of morgueFile.com)

The people who market heavily processed food to young children have been clever and effective over the years. Recent research from the University of Wisconsin has found that kids as young as three-years-old recognize and have preferences for different brands.

According to a report in Food Navigator, “The 3 to 5-year-olds in this study generally thought of fast food, for example, as ‘fun, exciting, and tasty’, and thought of cola brands as fun for reasons such as ‘the bubbles are fun,’ and ‘lots of people like them.’”

The Unhealthy Consequences

What comes of selling food loaded with empty calories to small children? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16% of children ages 6 to 19 years old are overweight or obese, a number that has tripled to 9 million kids since 1980. Type 2 diabetes is an illness linked to obesity, and was once almost unknown in children. But for those born in the U.S. in 2000, the risk of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives is estimated to be about 30% for boys and 40% for girls.

Parents Struggling Against the Tide

Just a short time viewing Saturday morning television programs reveals that parents who want their kids eating healthy food are competing with an industry that spends billions of dollars to directly influence children. Many parents are looking for schools to offer some help with nutrition education. Another practical step has been the introduction of edible gardens, like the one conceived by chef and advocate Alice Waters in Berkeley, to teach children to enjoy food they grow themselves.

To view the report in Food Navigator cited above, go to: Even three-year-olds know brands: Study

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