Where's the fruit?: An analysis of children's food products

Despite the rise of diet- and activity-related chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, the food and beverage industry continues to produce and market unhealthy products aimed at children via aggressive and misleading advertising campaigns. There is a growing concern that these unhealthy products are being promoted through the association of healthy foods, such as fruit, even when these claims baseless. Where's the Fruit?, a study released by Prevention Institute and Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments, found that over half of the most aggressively marketed children's foods advertising fruit on the packaging actually contained no fruit ingredients.

Deceptive advertising misleads children and weakens parents' ability to make healthy choices for their kids. Even with strong motivation, parents and children may find it difficult to eat nutritious foods if they are surrounded by unhealthy products that are heavily advertised both at the point of purchase and before entering the store. This is especially true in low-income communities and communities of color, where inadequate access to full scale supermarkets that carry fresh produce may limit access to healthy choices and facilitate the purchase of processed packaged foods. Additionally, the cost of fresh produce may be another contributing factor to choosing processed foods.

This session will highlight key findings from Prevention Institute's study, Where's the Fruit? and introduce a collection of recommendations for the food and beverage industry to support healthy eating. Participants will also gain an overview of community factors that affect families' ability to eat healthily.