"Marketing through Claims": A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Child-Targeted Food Packaging Claims within the Spanish Market.

Food advertising, especially on packaging, impacts children's choices. Food companies make different claims on packaging as a marketing techniques to make their products more appealing, enhancing their perceived healthiness, even in unhealthy products. Although the use of some claims is regulated, there are legal loopholes that could confuse young consumers and that concern global authorities. To shed light on the matter, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of the performance of all types of claims made by food companies in food products targeting children. We examined 458 products from Spanish markets in two periods through a cross-sectional content analysis. Our findings reveal that existing policies are working due to the decrease in nutrition claims, but there is a growth in soft claims that are unregulated and potentially confusing and attractive to children. Considering that most of the products analyzed are unhealthy, this emphasizes the importance of implementing stricter regulations to create a healthier and more reliable food environment for children.

The effect of food packaging elements on children's food choices and intake: A systematic review.

Little can be added about the worldwide concern over the exponential increase in obesity and child overweight problems. Much of the unhealthy eating habits occur at the time of food choice. The enormous influence of marketing strategies in general, and packaging in particular, has been highlighted here. In this respect, public policies that tend to direct choices toward healthier options have been developed. However, the usefulness of such policies will depend on evidence of how different packaging elements can influence children. This systematic review (SR) aims to compile the knowledge available to date on the influence of packaging on food choices and eating behaviours in children. Methodologically, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines have been followed to select papers. We also assessed the risk of bias in the studies analysed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). The initial search strategy found 2,627 articles, although only 20 of them met the eligibility criteria. Data from the studies were extracted, categorised, and analysed. The results indicate that most of the packaging elements have some effect on children's food choices or food intake. The use of Cartoon is the element with the most consistent evidence of influence. Despite the number of studies and public initiatives developed to promote this informative and persuasive element, less consistency has been found regarding the effect of Nutrition Labelling. Therefore, the results found should be considered by both governments and organisations when promoting public policies that work for the wellbeing of children.

Profiling consumers with an environmentally sustainable and healthy diet: The case of Spanish households.

Our diet has substantial implications not only for our health but also for the environment. However, the two dimensions are not comparable, even though consumers often associate them with their purchasing choices. Promoting more sustainable diets requires a better knowledge of household profiles considering the healthy and organically sustainable character of the food purchased. Previous studies have approached the analysis of consumer profiles separately, differentiating both dimensions without clear conclusion regarding the variables that make up these profiles. In this study, we looked for household profiles by cross-referencing the organic nature of the products consumed (environmental sustainability) with their degree of processing (healthfulness) in Spain. The results show that the most sustainable products are consumed in tiny municipalities (less than 2,000 inhabitants). In contrast, less sustainable products are consumed in high-income, single-family households or households with small children. The person responsible for the purchase is working or between 39 and 45 years old. In conclusion, our study shows that socio-demographic variables are statistically significant in identifying household profiles with sustainable diets.

From Conflict to Cooperation: A Macromarketing View of Sustainable and Inclusive Development in Lebanon and the Middle East.

Since the beginning of the Syrian war, Lebanon has experienced a major population change and has become the country with the highest number of refugees per capita. The authors apply a macromarketing perspective to study the effects of this population growth on the environmental management of Lebanon, with implications for the Levant and broader Middle East. An analysis of several factors, including geography, climate, population, economics, and politics, offers a holistic and integrative assessment of resource management, quality-of-life (QOL), economic diversification, and inclusive employment. Attention is given to social dilemmas in Lebanon's consociational politics, and how these dilemmas may be affecting policy making and ultimately sustainable development-locally, nationally, and regionally. The authors share a systemic framework to facilitate understanding and solutions via cooperation and constructive engagement of catalytic institutions, consideration for all stakeholders, and innovative projects that include refugees for best practices to promote sustainable and equitable development, and ultimately peace and prosperity in Lebanon and the Middle East.

The Effects of Foods Embedded in Entertainment Media on Children's Food Choices and Food Intake: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.

While watching or playing with media, children are often confronted with food appearances. These food portrayals might be a potential factor that affects a child's dietary behaviors. We aimed to comprehensively expound the effects of these types of food appearances on dietary outcomes of children. Our objectives were to synthetize the evidence of the experiments that study the effects of foods embedded in children's entertainment media throughout a systematic review, to conduct two meta-analyses (food choice and intake) in order to quantify the effects, and to examine to what extent the effects of foods embedded in entertainment media varies across different moderating variables. We conducted a systematic search of five databases for studies published up to July 2018 regarding terms related to children and foods embedded in entertainment media. We identified 26 eligible articles, of which 13 (20 effect sizes) and 7 (13 effect sizes) were considered for a meta-analysis on food choice and intake, respectively. Most of the studies were assessed as having a middle risk of bias. Overall, food being embedded in entertainment media is a strategy that affects the eating behaviors of children. As most of the embedded foods in the included studies had low nutritional values, urgent measures are needed to address the problem of childhood obesity.

Investigating the Effects of Non-Branded Foods Placed in Cartoons on Children's Food Choices through Type of Food, Modality and Age.

Cartoons are among the most consumed media products by children, especially those at a young age. While branded food placements are not allowed in animated series, non-branded food placements are prevalent. However, little is known about the effects that these food placements might have on children's eating preferences. In an experimental study with 124 children (51.6% girls, age range: 7-11, Mage = 9.24, and SD = 1.19), 62 children in the experimental condition were exposed to 16 food placements in cartoons, whereas children in the control condition were exposed to cartoon scenes without foods. The healthiness of the placed foods (low nutritional value foods versus high nutritional value foods) as well as the modality of food placements (unimodal versus bimodal) were manipulated. After watching the cartoon scenes, children completed a choice task where each placed food appeared on a separate choice card. Our results indicate that non-branded low nutritional value foods placed in cartoons are an effective strategy in modifying children's food choices when children are under age 9. We suggest that policy makers, particularly those involved in the content design of cartoons, take these results into account when placing low nutritional value foods in cartoons, especially for an animated series that targets young child audiences.