Ninety percent of regular food items aimed specifically at children have a poor nutritional content - because of high levels of sugar, fat or sodium - according to a study of 367 products in the journal Obesity Reviews. Just under 70 percent of the products studied - which specifically excluded confectionery, soft drinks and bakery items - derived a high proportion of calories from sugar. And 20 percent had high fat levels and 17 percent had high sodium levels. Despite this, 62 percent of the foods with poor nutritional quality made positive claims about their nutritional value on the front of the packet.
"Children's foods can now be found in virtually every section of the supermarket and are available for every eating experience," said Professor Charlene Elliott from the University of Calgary, Canada. "Parents may have questions about which packaged foods are good for their children. Yet certain nutritional claims may add to the confusion, as they can mislead people into thinking the whole product is nutritious."
"We included food products and packaging that were presented in such a way that children were the clear target audience," explained Elliott. "They included products that promoted fun and play, had a cartoon image on the front of the box or were linked to children's films, TV programs and merchandise."
Elliott believes that policy attention needs to be directed towards the nutritional claims made by products aimed at children and the images they use to sell the products. "If a parent sees a product that makes specific nutritional claims, they may assume that the whole product is nutritious and our study has shown that that is definitely not true in the vast majority of cases," concludes Elliott. "Using cartoon characters engaged in sport can also create the illusion of a healthy product."
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Source: Obesity Reviews
