Internet marketing directed at children on food and restaurant websites in two policy environments

Abstract

Objective:Food and beverage marketing has been associated with childhood obesity yet little research has examined the influence of advertising policy on children's exposure to food/beverage marketing on the Internet. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of Quebec's Consumer Protection Act and the self‐regulatory Canadian Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CAI) on food manufacturer and restaurant websites in Canada.Design and Methods:A content analysis of 147 French and English language food and restaurant websites was undertaken. The presence of child‐directed content was assessed and an analysis of marketing features, games and activities, child protection features, and the promotion of healthy lifestyle messages was then examined on those sites with child‐directed content.Results:There were statistically no fewer French language websites (n = 22) with child‐directed content compared to English language websites (n = 27). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of the various marketing features, or in the average number of marketing features between the English and French websites. There were no fewer CAI websites (n = 14) with child‐directed content compared to non‐CAI websites (n = 13). The CAI sites had more healthy lifestyle messages and child protection features compared to the non‐CAI sites.Conclusion:Systematic surveillance of the Consumer Protection Act in Quebec is recommended. In the rest of Canada, the CAI needs to be significantly expanded or replaced by regulatory measures to adequately protect children from the marketing of foods/beverages high in fat, sugar, and sodium on the Internet.

Food marketing to children in Canada: a settings-based scoping review on exposure, power and impact

“…The literature available examined the exposure to, power of or impact of food marketing to children in Canada in general, 36,40 on television, 34,[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] online, [49][50][51] in public schools, 52 on product packaging in grocery stores 35,37,[53][54][55][56][57][58] and in fast food restaurants 59,60 (Table 3). The majority of articles were based on crosssectional studies (n = 14).…”

“…The majority of articles were based on crosssectional studies (n = 14). 34,37,[42][43][44][45][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56] Two articles reviewed the impact of the QCPA 43,44 and four reviewed that of the CAI [45][46][47]56 on exposure to and power of food marketing. Table 4 provides a summary of the influence of regulations on exposure and power by setting.…”

“…50,51 This evidence does not assess the multitude of emerging electronic marketing techniques used to target children, including viral marketing (online word-ofmouth by consumers), social networking and direct marketing by e-mail. 4 The author found no studies that assessed these techniques in Canada.…”

“…In 2010, Potvin Kent et al 51 reviewed websites tied to food or beverages advertised on television watched by ten to 12 year old children to evaluate the impact of the QCPA and the CAI. Of 148 websites, approximately one-third were child-directed, which was defined as having "childoriented marketing features such as spokescharacters, cartoons, contests, activities, or games directed at children; and [using] simple vocabulary easily understood by children."…”

The Quebec experience in promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing obesity: how can we do better?

“…Despite these encouraging observations, several weaknesses in the Quebec act have been identified, such as the non-observance of the Quebec law by channels from other provinces and countries broadcasted in Quebec (68). The lack of surveillance of the application of the law was also underlined, especially in the digital media (69), where food marketing to children and adolescents raises growing concerns at international and Canadian levels (70,71). These concerns, comforted by the results of the HDB post-forum survey (28, p. 201), contribute to explain why a proposal specifically consists in strengthening the enforcement of the Quebec Consumer Protection Act (P16).…”