US food manufacturer Kraft Foods has said it plans to shift the mix of products it advertises to children aged 6-11 toward healthier products.
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Kraft also said it will phase out advertising in television, radio and print media viewed primarily by children aged 6-11 for products that do not meet its own “better-for-you” nutrition criteria. This means that, over the course of 2005, a number of Kraft products, including regular Kool-Aid beverages, Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies, several Post children’s cereals, and many varieties of Lunchables lunch combinations, will no longer be advertised in these media. The company said it would continue its existing policy of not advertising in media that has a principal audience under age six.
Furthermore, using nutrition criteria that are derived from the proposed 2005 US Dietary Guidelines, as well as information from the US Food & Drug Administration, Kraft plans to introduce a Sensible Solution labelling programme in the US, featuring a prominent on-pack “flag” for food and beverage products that meet specific, “better-for-you” nutrition criteria that Kraft has established for each category of products. The Sensible Solution flag will begin to appear on qualifying products in the US in April.
Among the products in the US that will carry the flag are Kraft 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat cheese, Post Shredded Wheat cereal, Minute Rice Instant whole grain brown rice, Triscuit Original baked whole grain wheat crackers and Crystal Light beverages. Plans are underway for similar programmes in other countries, based on regulatory requirements and other local considerations, Kraft said.
“We’re working on ways to encourage both adults and children to eat wisely by selecting more nutritionally balanced diets,” said Lance Friedmann, Kraft’s senior vice president of global health and wellness. “We believe that these initiatives are a step in the right direction.”
Examples of existing products that the company will continue to advertise in media aimed specifically at the 6-11 age group include Sugar-Free Kool-Aid beverages, Lunchables Fun Pack Chicken Dunks and 1/2 the Sugar Fruity Pebbles cereal. As part of this initiative, Kraft said its research and development team is creating more new children’s products that will meet its Sensible Solution criteria.
“Despite broad agreement that there is no simple way to effectively encourage better nutrition and more physical activity, we recognise that parents are concerned about the mix of food products being advertised to younger children,” said Mark Berlind, Kraft’s executive vice president of global corporate affairs. “The initiatives we’re announcing today are part of our ongoing efforts to help address that concern.”
