Kraft Cuts ‘Junk Food’ Ads Aimed at Children

02/01/2005

Kraft Foods Inc., Northfield, Ill., says it will stop advertising products such as Oreo cookies and Kool-Aid beverages to children younger than 12 as part of an overall plan to combat the childhood obesity epidemic, reports Reuters. The food giant says it also will increase ads promoting healthier snacks.

The decision will affect ads for a number of Kraft products, especially some of its most popular snack foods and cereals. Ads for these products will no longer appear during television shows viewed primarily by children ages 6 to 11. Radio and print media advertising also will be included, Kraft officials said.

Fifteen percent or more of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight. This crisis, coupled with increased public pressure for healthier manufactured foods, is leading major food processors such as Kraft to improve the nutritional content of their product lines and create new packaging for products that meet select nutritional criteria.