Nutrition and Marketing: What Is Right For Children?

Last week I brought the current topic of video gaming for foodies to the table. I am absolutely fascinated with the way food has grown into such a huge market for entertainment. Video games are just one avenue through which food is becoming a main course for people of all ages. While sitting and thinking about the food video games, an associated topic came to mind. There have always been discussions about how kids playing video games and watching television prevents exercising and eating well. I started to wonder how marketing makes a difference when it comes to what kids are eating. This week I chose to comb through the blogosphere in hopes of finding a lot on my topic of choice, food and food marketing to kids (see picture to the left). This happens to be a somewhat controversial topic in the blogosphere. The first blog I came across “What’s In Store”, published by Dr. Susan Finn, a nutrition professional who has spent a large amount of her career trying to build productive partnerships to make better choices when it comes to nutrition. The post that I found entitled “Food Marketing to Children and Adolescents”, discussed how in October 2008, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) conducted a survey on food marketing to youth and called on the companies to “adopt and adhere to meaningful, nutrition-based standards for marketing their products to children under 12.” In this blog she offers the information and research from the FTC as well as acknowledges that 13 of the largest food and beverage companies have adopted the initiative but that it is going to take much more. The second blog I found was entitled, “Restaurant Kids’ Meals Pack Adult Sized Calories”, published by CalorieLab.com’s Robert S. Wieder in the Calorie Counter News Section. This post discusses the nutritional information from chain restaurants, how it compares to the daily caloric intake standards for children and what they are doing to improve the situation (see picture to the right). I chose to comment on these posts in hopes that I might get a response about how long it will take to get restaurants and marketing techniques more effective regulations when it comes to youth nutrition. I offered up my comments on each blog. They can be found by clicking on the links as well as below.

“What’s In Store” – My Response:

I would like to thank you for taking the time to write a post on this subject matter, as well as your blog. I find it very interesting and highly educational. It makes me feel good to know that there are people in the world that devote their time to such a worthy cause. I am glad that you included links to a marketing workshops agenda. I came across the statement, “Some food companies have also modified their packaging to encourage portion control and make nutritious foods more convenient for parents and more appealing to children.” I found this to be true specifically from walking around markets and observing the products. Yes, it is a step in the right direction. The problem I find with this marketing technique is even though the packaging is portion controlled; companies still haven’t tackled the fact that many people will continue to eat more than one package. The truth is if you ask people about their daily caloric intake, most have no idea. Every product is required to have a nutrition label but most of the time people tend to look at the fat content and assume that if it is low in fat, it is okay. Do you think it would be a smart idea for marketing as a whole to involve the daily nutritional information? For example, if companies sell 100-calorie packs of cookies, require a marketing campaign with other companies to show how their products can fulfill the requirements for daily percentage values and caloric intake? Are there campaigns to have that sort of marketing and advertising aimed at adults with children, implemented on a national level?

I absolutely enjoyed reading your blog, specifically this post. However, I would’ve liked to read more about your personal opinions regarding the subject matter. The fact that you are a nutritional professional would bring a different angle to the marketing story. I am positive that you can provide innovative thoughts on the best way to reach the public regarding this very important matter.


“Restaurant Kids’ Meals Pack Adult Sized Calories” – My response:

Thank so much for providing information on this subject. The comment “American Kids get their one third of their caloric intake from restaurant meals” was incredibly thought provoking. After spending a lot of time recently in restaurants on a very strict diet (based solely on calories) it is easy to see how people, especially children are becoming obese. It is shocking to see at most of the restaurants the average caloric value was over twice what it should be for one main meal. If that number stayed consistent for 2-3 meals per day, does that mean kids will be consuming approximately 3,000 calories? Do you feel like it has a lot to do with marketing? That it might be a problem if restaurants are advertising their establishments as a prime source of nutrition and daily intake for kids? It is mentioned that the restaurant association is putting the blame on parents stating that nutrition starts at home and that kids are not getting an adequate amount of exercise. Even if a child is exercising every day, consuming 830 calories for meal is definitely not considered healthy. I feel that Subway has taken a step in the right direction offering apples, milk and yogurt to children as well as adults for meals. The problem is if a child gets a sub loaded with cheese and mayo, it will exceed their intake for that meal. What additional steps are being taken with restaurants that are at least publishing their foods caloric values?

I am highly disappointed in restaurants for their lack of concern when it comes to nutrition for children. Your article is a great way to create awareness on these highly important topics. I would love to see correspondence from some of these establishments with explanations of how they feel their products are healthy as well as more of your opinion as a journalist on this matter.

Serve It Up, Interactive Style: Video Gaming for Foodies

In the early 1980’s arcade games were in full force and, believe it or not, games related to food were the hottest items on the menu. The game that started it all may not have seemed like a food game, but after taking a closer look, it is easy to see that Pac-Man was a hungry little guy. The chomping Pac-Man would run around trying to eat everything in site: ghosts, pellets and fruit. This may not be something that seems too appetizing, but still food related. Not long after Pac-Man, came the arcade game Burgertime, creating burgers with tiny creepy walking pickles and fried eggs. Burgertime may not necessarily be the most exciting and complex of video games but it was fun nonetheless. Fast forward to 2003 and Diner Dash, where the object of the game is to wait on tables, from PC satisfies the hunger for food video games that were neglected for the most part through the 1990’s. Still, nothing specifically about the process of cooking was created, until 2006 when Nintendo released a game for its DS system called Cooking Mama. With Cooking Mama, chopping, stirring, boiling and sautéing are simulated thanks to the touch screen of the DS. Yet even with the Nintendo DS there were still ingredients missing, but thanks to Nintendo another game system that has gone above and beyond was released on the market in 2006. Enter the Nintendo Wii, a system that enables the player to physically play a game by simulating movements in order to accomplish tasks. After speaking to former food critic and professional chef, Marsha Carden, I was led to question whether or not these games might be missing the most important ingredient, by which I mean taste.

Food Entertainment has become more of a need than a supplement in a number of lives across the country. People are taking pride in cooking and making the right choices when choosing foods for daily meals. According to Nielsen statistics, The Next Food Network Star was in the top ten most viewed programs in July 2008. What does this say about the market? They are hungry for something besides typical dramas or comedies when it comes to television programming. It seems to be the same for the video game market as well. Nintendo has been working diligently to get new food games to the public and so far they are succeeding. Besides the Cooking Mama series Nintendo has released Order Up, a game about buying a diner and winning the title of a competition that will put the it on the map. This seems to be what gamers are calling “charming and fun” but lack the components of a two or more player competition many find to be necessary. Another interesting addition to the cooking video game market is Nintendo’s Cooking Guide: Can’t Decide What To Eat? This is more of an instructional interactive cookbook that gives you the ability to search from about two hundred recipes through different search techniques such as by time, main ingredient and difficulty.

In October 2008, Nintendo along with Black Lantern Studios will be releasing the video game version of the highly rated television show, Iron Chef America, to be called Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine. This game will feature real voices and movements from Masaharu Morimoto, Cat Cora, Mario Batali, Alton Brown and the Chairman (Mark Dacasco). Not only will players be able to compete with the Iron Chefs, they will also be able to play as an Iron Chef, which is something many foodies dream of while they are sitting at work. From the screenshots shown on the Iron Chef America game site, it looks as though the player will be able to perform many cooking techniques that are very necessary in the preparation of food in Iron Chef America’s Kitchen Stadium. Not only are the choices in foods and secret ingredients going to impress the player but the graphics are phenomenal. As far as cooking video games go, it looks as though Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine is going to “reign supreme.”


The introduction of interactive cooking is revolutionary in the video game market. People of all ages who wish to cook are now able to get in a virtual kitchen without the worry of handling real kitchen utensils and equipment. Virtual cooking games are a way of reaching a whole new generation by creating an appreciation that may have been overlooked in the past. Culinary gaming is definitely a step forward in the world of cooking. When preparing a meal, the cook’s main concern usually is not whether they have the proper chop or the most creative plating technique but rather if their guests will like what they are eating or not. Obviously taste and smell are still the two senses that the video game designers have not been able to incorporate into games. Even without these two key ingredients, the majority of the reviews are still positive. Reviews, however, come from amateur cooks or gamers who simply enjoy the novelty. A certified chef might argue that without the two key ingredients of taste and smell, these games are an incomplete reflection of the true art of cooking.

Although cooking style games are spicing up the video game market this is still a relatively new technology, so this means there aren’t yet a lot of documented opinions. My thought is that while the general public will most likely adore the games, foodies, chefs and food connoisseurs will be left with a bad taste in their mouths. Coming from the perspective of a foodie, I tend to agree with the chefs and food connoisseurs. The best part of cooking is the taste and the smell of the food. However, I do see how this is a great step forward for the gaming community and will hopefully inspire a new generation of cooks and chefs.