We Must Regulate the Advertising of Unhealthy Fast Food Essay

Think back to last year’s Super Bowl. What do we really remember about the event? One might say the game-winning drive, the players excitement, but what most of us remember was the commercials. The hilarious Old Spice commericals, the creative, funny, car commercials, and most importantly the dozens of commercials about food. Ranging from Campbell’s Soup, to Snickers, to Coca Cola, these commercials seem to be shown just for our entertainment; however, although we might not realize it, they do influence our decision making down the road. It no longer amazes people when they hear about how companies pay millions of dollars for a few minutes of airtime on events such as the Super Bowl. Over that past several years, research is starting to†¦show more content†¦Within these ninety-eight hours of recorded program times, a total of 1344 advertisements were found. Out of these 1344 advertisements, thirty-three percent, around four and a half advertisementsperhour, wer e for food. The shocking thing about these commercials however, was the fact that around seventy-nine percent of these food commercials were for candy, and fast food. Foods were classified as â€Å"healthy† if they met Singapore’s Healthier Choice Symbol, but the food being advertised was clearly not. The study from Singapore is just one specific example of how much pressure the media is placing on children, and what they consume, and how unbeneficial this pressure is. Another study conducted by Kristen Harrison and Amy L. Marske also shows the correlation between food advertising, how it is geared towards children, and the nutritional benefits, or lack thereof, of the foods being advertised. These researchers focused on just the nutritional content of the foods being advertised during hours of peak child viewers. They then coded the foods being advertised based on what type of food it was, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack food. 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