What Do You Do About The Impact Of Food Advertising On Your Family?

[whatifedmychild]

I was attempting to write a short answer to this question, and utterly failed on the shortness part.  I realized it needs further thinking.  I started with this..

For all kinds of advertising from food to Barbie dolls, it isn't the television that is the culprit.  Television viewing now has format options, or it can be turned off, but every time we leave the house we encounter advertising, especially food advertising and body images. 

Living downtown brings you into close and constant contact with society, with all its pop culture and advertising.  You hear it, see it, and are surrounded by living beings eating advertised items, and engaged with the same products that are advertised elsewhere.  We must think further than simply trying to avoid advertising.  Social marketing is not new to urban dwellers, it's live action.

Any thoughts on encountering so much marketing everywhere?  From people eating McDonald's on the bus to walking by giant displays of toys on your way to the art supplies store....how does your family handle this??

[mary3mama]

I've been thinking about this post since I first read it yesterday. I still don't know if I have a really good response, except to say I've had it on my mind.

Dealing with advertising is an ongoing, amorphous discussion around here. 

My children are currently 13, 9 & 5 1/2. 

The older too, especially, are becoming quite sophisticated in their ability to sniff out the BS of advertising.

And this is the observation that helped me to not worry about it.

They are going to be inundated with ads and marketing their whole lives.

Being able to see the ads and asking questions like: 'what does it really mean when they say that their product is 'best' or 'A+++ rated'?

So many really excellent discussions have started that way.

Discussions that show me that they are developing critical thinking skills for navigating the maze of advertising claims.

As with all things in our home, it is not 'sink or swim.' They aren't expected to figure out all the confusing messages by themselves. 

We talk all the time. We have discussion of both weighty and completely silly topics all the time. Dealing with the confusion created by advertising messages is just one of many conversations. And because of that, the ads themselves have no more 'weight' or importance than any other influence in their lives.

They are not skeptical about ads so much as they are alert and questioning. 

[leafylady]

it's not just advertising. It seems that we can't go to the grocery store without running the gauntlet of candy, pop, cake, cookies, chips, and more. These products are highlighted over and above the healthy produce section or any of the un-processed foods. I find that kind of advertising to be harder to combat than the obvious tv/billboard/magazine ads, because product placement is not an obvious ad.

[Sharlla]

the kids only watch netflix, no commercials so we dont have any issues with food advertising.  my kids dont really ask for junk food, ds2 will beg for strawberries or kiwi lol

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Sharlla 

the kids only watch netflix, no commercials so we dont have any issues with food advertising.  my kids dont really ask for junk food, ds2 will beg for strawberries or kiwi lol

Netflix is so great. My kids love all kinds of shows, and get to enjoy them without the barrage of ads trying to convince them that a double-sized serving of Froot Loops is a great dinner idea.

My kids do like some junky stuff, but they get excited over berries and and hemp seeds and prunes (yeah - one of their favourites - who knew?). I love the freedom from ads.

I also tend to avoid the aisles with sweets and snack foods when I'm shopping with the kids. If they don't see all that colourful, enticing packaging, it can't work its magic.

[MrsBone]

I don't think there is a way to avoid it. We don't run into advertising and bilboards so much..we live in the country but the grocery store, yeah..not so fun! Luckily I leave the kids with DH when I do the rare grocery shopping trip. we run a food co-op and the kids see us sorting bins of produce and dividing up meat more than grocery store trips. :)

[meemee]

no matter what advertisements they see and no matter what you are surrounded by, your child will follow what your family's food habits are. we are not a fast food family. dd does not crave fast food. we are a cook at home, whole food family with loving eating out once in a while at tasty restaurants. 

however of course kids love sugar. 

dd wanted lucky charms cereal for a long time. i got her some one year.i think she was 4 or 5. yikes she hated it. one bowl was all that was gotten out of the box before it was tossed. taught her a big lesson. advertisors lie.

from around 4 to 6 i gave into some of her wishes that she had due to advertisements. i didnt have to 'teach' her anything. that is when she learnt advertisers lie. and what you see is not what you get.  

for me what has worked is having dd bombarded by teh ads. not that i am purposefully doing it but we always seem to see a lot of tv socially at someone elses house or as you pointed out everywhere else. 

by 8 dd had gotten a sense of healthy and balanced food. 

we buy local so dd knows the 'taste' of food. we have gotten yummy looking food and found they werent as yummy as the pictures foretold. 

dd does ask for junk, just like i do. we have both talked it over and decided that a little junk is ok. so once in a blue moon dd gets a couple of ounce of soda. chips. 

however of course at a ball game she will go for the cotton candy. eat a bit and be done with it.

the key is we eat healthy at home. dd is used ot the style we eat. when she goes for junk most of it she rejects because she knows hte 'real' taste of food and finds the junk too chemically tasting. what worked for her was me NOT saying NO but giving her a sample. she is that child who had had complete freedom to eat her halloween candy but after the first day or two, she ignores them. 

by the time dd was 8 she was in complete control of her food. 

between the ages of 2 and 5 we ate out a lot. which kinda worked in our favor because we ate at local eateries. that developed dd's palate so that she doesnt long for crap. now how many children would you find who hates pizza, pbj, hamburgers but loves sushi and vietnamese and thai food. ANd loves cooking herself and actually enjoys it. 

ETA : we are a RARE fast food eating family. mostly mexican food. even when I ate french fries and offered dd she didnt want any. however she LOVES chipotle vegetarian burrito. 

[mirina]

We don't need to do anything. We do not have TV at home, I choose what we buy to eat and kids are still okay with it. They know already for a long time, that colorfull food in stores is here to get us to buy it and they inform me everytime very carefully what we do eat and what we don't.

[CatsCradle]

Originally Posted by meemee 

no matter what advertisements they see and no matter what you are surrounded by, your child will follow what your family's food habits are. we are not a fast food family. dd does not crave fast food. we are a cook at home, whole food family with loving eating out once in a while at tasty restaurants. 

So agree!  DD has never had a fast food item but that has a lot to do with our vegetarianism and other food choices.  Her camp had a barbecue on Friday and if you didn't eat hotdogs you were required to bring your own lunch.  DD goes:  "I'm so tired of all the meat eaters in the world!"  I gotta be careful with her because she can be pretty straightforward and uncaring about others' food choices (she needs to keep her opinions in the family!),  But I guess what I'm trying to say, as meemee so eloquently said, kids will adopt her/his own family practices for the most part.  DD watches TV, but we don't buy anything advertised, and she doesn't ask.  All in all, I think that the family MO is the strongest influence.  We've never had problems with advertising.  Maybe DD just accepts that we are different or weird, don't know....but with I think that you can either accept or reject advertising.  It seems pretty simple to me.  That is not to say that people are probably influenced by it (I mean why else would companies invest millions/billions into pushing products?).  

There's also that little word:  "No."  I've used it before and I'll use it again.  

[MrsBone]

I agree...for birthday parties, I make DS a gluten free cupcake(betty crocker..still not healthy by any means) and nasty bad for you frosting, but it's only every once in awhile and he knows he can't have that sort of thing every day. He does like to eat it, but he never asks for them again after the party or anything. I end up throwing away or freezing cupcakes because the box makes 12 and we rarely go through all of them. As far as artificial bad for you stuff, we do have that kind of thing every now and then, and he does like those things, but a little goes a long way...he'll have a few m&ms and be done, or what not. We are also unprocessed, whole foods kinda family, and I cook almost everything from scratch.. For allergies and health :)

[whatifedmychild]

Originally Posted by meemee 

dd wanted lucky charms cereal for a long time. i got her some one year.i think she was 4 or 5. yikes she hated it. one bowl was all that was gotten out of the box before it was tossed. taught her a big lesson. advertisors lie.

however of course at a ball game she will go for the cotton candy. eat a bit and be done with it.

the key is we eat healthy at home. dd is used ot the style we eat. when she goes for junk most of it she rejects because she knows hte 'real' taste of food and finds the junk too chemically tasting. what worked for her was me NOT saying NO but giving her a sample.

This makes so much sense to me also. Our tastes have been shaped so far - for food or toys- by what we already have at home.  It cultivates a palate.  When we are guests, the emphasis is on being a good guest, and not on the food.  I rely on that tiny palate to make selections both familiar (and healthy) and adventurous.  As in the cheese plate at a party...beeline.

As for screens and tv we ALSO choose netflix for the ad-free experience.

I am re-visiting that idea now in terms of ads.  We learned from netflix how to turn OFF a video, and how people come first.

Now (or soon?) will it be time to see an ad or two to learn how those "colorful pictures" are disappointing.

Mary3Mama - thanks for answering this thread!  At some point we need to tackle the critical thinking on ads.

And i love Silly and serious all mixed together - that's us for sure.

I want to de-mystify ads and de-power them.  I'm not ready yet (we're at 4 years old)  but it's coming soon.

It helps to think about it in advance.

Thanks to the experienced Mothering out there!!

[Alenushka]

0.

We are TV wathing family. WE looooove TV.

From early age we disscussed with kids how ads are made, what ad man aim at etc.

We also taught them advance DVR skills. lol

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by meemee 

dd wanted lucky charms cereal for a long time. i got her some one year.i think she was 4 or 5. yikes she hated it. one bowl was all that was gotten out of the box before it was tossed. taught her a big lesson. advertisors lie.

While our eating habits aren't perfect (I let them have treats "occasionally"...but "occasionally" has experienced frequency creep), they're pretty good. Sometimes, I go through periods where I want to just give up - when all the neighbourhood kids are inhaling freezies, and my kids are being offered them multiple times a day, for instance. Then, I have those kids come over and practically beg for a homemade popsicle (mine are fruit smoothies with yogurt - the most popular being cantaloupe, a splash of OJ, a banana and the yogurt), while my kids really aren't that interested in freezies, anymore. It does pay off...takes time, but it pays off. DS1 is even known among his friends as bit of a "health food nut". I wouldn't go that far, but for a 19 year old guy, he eats pretty well. And, to be honest, I'd kind of despaired of that ever happening during his "give me sugar" teens.

[meemee]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride 

It does pay off...takes time, but it pays off. DS1 is even known among his friends as bit of a "health food nut". I wouldn't go that far, but for a 19 year old guy, he eats pretty well. And, to be honest, I'd kind of despaired of that ever happening during his "give me sugar" teens.

it really does pay off. i am very surprised by the food choices dd makes when she has the option outside. or when she is the one planning the menu and making dinner. 

summer is our big junk food time. icecream. icecream. icecream. like dd points out on a hot, hot day, sometimes its wonderful to end with an icecream. and as you pointed out neighborhood children fun. sadly those who join us for dinner eat like a sparrow and then run home to eat and come back for dessert. they are so used to american cheese that they cant handle real cheese quesadilla or grilled cheese sandwich or pasta because it has veggies in it. 

i really do feel there is something about sugar and brain functioning. like they ask for sugar because its important for their growth and development. 

[beanma]

My kids despise McDonald's as in yell out the car window, "I hate McDonald's" as we go past (not that I encourage that). We, too, don't do TV ads. We don't watch much TV as adults and what we have been watching we usually Tivo and ff through the ads. 

Like Mary3Mama we have had long ongoing conversations throughout the years about advertisers. My two girls are very aware of the false body images that advertisers portray for women. We have surrounded ourselves with positive resources (New Moon Girls, American Girl self-help books, Girls on the Run program, etc). Just yesterday my 8 yr old was asking me why all the people in ads on TV were so "beautiful" (said as scathingly as an 8 yr old can) and dressed in their best clothes and so fancy all the time and not "real". We talked about how advertisers want to flatter you and have you imagine yourself as those "beautiful" people and if only you would buy their product you could just like them. They are super skeptical about advertising.

Product placement is a little trickier. We don't shop at conventional grocery stores very often. We belong to a health food coop store where I volunteer so we usually shop there. Occasionally we need to go into a conventional grocery and they rarely seem interested in any of the food. They are, however, drawn into all the toys if we go to Target or Barnes & Noble or something. We've solved the begging Mom for a toy problem by giving them a small allowance. If they have money they can buy a toy, but the allowance is small enough that they need to save a little for most things. They have become much more money aware and I'm really glad we did it. We're also conscious of how much stuff we bring into our house. We're organizing for a big yard sale right now and trying to get rid of stuff so we try to think about that when we buy something new. 

So, we don't bring yucky food in the house. Most of our friends don't either. We shop locally. Love our local restaurants, etc. 

Basically my kids think all advertising is evil!