Kudos to Kellogg
While the sociological debates continue about what it means to be marketing directly to children and whether or not people are marketing to children and what corporations’ responsibilities are, therein, I think that this announcement couldn’t be more timely.
The upshot? Kellogg steps up and claims some responsibility. Sure, it comes after umpteen years of foisting sugar cereal represented by happy cartoons on your kids, but still. Progress!
The Kellogg Company announced today that it will phase out advertising its products to children under age 12 unless the foods meet specific nutrition guidelines for calories, sugar, fat and sodium.
Kellogg also announced that it would stop using licensed characters or branded toys to promote foods unless the products meet the nutrition guidelines.
The voluntary changes, which will be put in place over the next year and a half, will apply to about half of the products that Kellogg currently markets to children worldwide, including Froot Loops and Apple Jacks cereals and some varieties of Pop Tarts.
The president and chief executive, David Mackay, said those products would either be reformulated to meet the nutrition guidelines or would no longer be advertised to children.
“It is a big change,” Mr. Mackey said. “Where we can make the changes without negatively impacting the taste of the product, we will.”
But if the product cannot be reformulated, Mr. Mackey said, the company will either market it to an older audience or stop advertising it.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks; while I’d love to believe that many of the unhealthy foods kids love will be reformulated, I can’t help but wonder if Kellogg will ultimately find it cheaper and/or easier just to change their marketing strategy.
(Because, dude: We’ve had those reduced-sugar Froot Loops, and I am here to tell you that they were awful.)