Monday, June 30, 2008

JUNK FOOD - Impact of Television and direct marketing

In the busy world of ‘no time’, the chance for the growth of junk food in families have raised up. The ability of even a three-year old child to identify and force his parents to buy a product should not surprise many. After all, marketing to children is an art that companies have mastered long ago- especially junk foods.
Television commercials and the direct marketing show the many ways by which companies get children hooked on to junk food even at an early age. High intake of calorie rich junk food combined with a sedentary lifestyle has led to increasing number of over weight and obese children and adults in many developed and even developing countries. Many individuals have been found to suffer from diabetes and cardio vascular diseases even at an early age.
Many companies that reaped great profit through direct marketing to children includes Mc Donald, Magi, Pepsi, Coca-Cola etc. even children at a very small age are now crying over for junk foods of colors, odor, and flavors. The homemade food providing nutrients and a correct diet are out of reach now days.
The various advertisements on foods and drinks imposed during children’s program and on children’s channels drag children to the nearest fast food centers. In addition, use of celebrities and cartoon characters for children’s product that can induce them to buy these products are now in mass demand.
The junk food producers are exploiting the celebrity of children through various commercials. Moreover, the amount of fat, sugar and salt in their products are in very high quantity, thus affecting the health of children. A foreign magazine has reported that American children spend nearly 130 billion of their money on buying junk food every year. In addition, the chance of a child to become obese is 1.6 times greater when he drinks one can of coca-cola daily.
Like these developed nation, India is also moving towards this ‘junk food culture’. This proves to be an easy way for ‘working mummies and timeless daddies’. Nevertheless, the result is the production of many ‘amul babies’ deprived of any physical resistance towards disease. The children become obese when they start eating unhealthy food at a very young age.
“Catch them young” is the successful slogan of junk food manufactures when TV commercials and marketing acts as a good media for spreading this slogan. Childhood obesity is more a marketing-induced phenomenon. The jump of children towards fried items and other junk food can make them obese. Weaning them away from these unhealthy foods and promoting natural foods that are good for health should be everybody’s responsibility.
A ‘good-bye’ to these junk foods can be a rescue from young age diabetics and other cardio vascular diseases. Developed countries including America and Britain have already banned and controlled such commercials on junk food. Therefore, junk food manufactures are turning their eye towards developing countries like India. We should keep our eyes wide open towards the hazards that may eat us in the near-by future in the form of junk food.

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