There’s a little something extra — and something missing — inside the cereal box that catches a child’s eye.
The extra ingredient is sugar. And what’s missing? Nutrients more likely to be found in less flashy packages.
A group of Canadian researchers have found that’s no coincidence. Packaged foods with the most child-appealing packaging contain more added sugar than those with less-appealing packaging. To determine that, the researchers looked at nearly 6,000 individual food products relevant to children’s diets. Approximately one in every six products had child-appealing marketing.
And those products packed a sugar wallop, containing about 63% more sugar. On average, that’s an extra 1.4 teaspoons of sugar per serving in child-appealing products compared with standard-packaged products.
Among the foods that were studied by scientists at the universities of Toronto and Ottawa, two stood out: More than 50% of cereals and toaster pastries had child-centered marketing.
The researchers said child-friendly packaged foods most often contain visual designs that appear fun or cool to youngsters or make use of characters familiar to them.
So, what can be done to stem the tsunami of sugary foods aimed at children? The researchers say parents can do their part by educating kids about healthier foods and eating habits. Pediatricians can push for more regulations on the marketing of unhealthy foods to kids.
The pushback against extra sugar can also start in the grocery store aisles. For parents, that means looking closely at nutrition labels — and sometimes saying no to kids, even if they’re already sold on a particular brand or item.