A study by the Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity blasts the nutritional value of some of the most advertised kids' cereals.
"If one looks at the rank order list of the worst nutrition cereals, it's stunning how the worst cereals are marketed so aggressively to children," said Kelly Brownell from Yale's Rudd Center.
Researchers found that the average American preschooler sees 642 cereal ads a year, and the vast majority of those ads are for sugared cereals.
The study's author says the heavy marketing campaigns are fueling America's growing childhood obesity epidemic. There are ways to train kids to eat healthier food. It's all about what they're exposed to.
The industry's efforts to police itself have failed. For example, under the industry's new standards many of the least nutritional cereals qualify as "better for you" foods.
Cereals like Froot Loops, Cap'n Crunch, and Cocoa Puffs, are cereals that have merit. ABC News also reached out to manufacturers of these cereals. They maintain they are making their cereals more nutritious along with reducing their advertising to children.
The study finds that cereals marketed to kids have 85 percent more sugar, 60 percent more sodium and 65 percent less fiber than those aimed at adults.
耶鲁大学的路德食品政策和肥胖中心的一项研究,对大多数儿童麦片广告吹嘘的营养价值进行了严厉批评。
耶鲁路德研究中心的凯利 布朗内尔说:"如果有人看了列出的营养最差麦片的排名,就会很震惊,为什么营养这么差的东西还不遗余力地向儿童推销?"
研究人员发现,平均每个美国学龄前儿童一年要看到642个麦片广告,绝大部分都是加了糖的麦片。
此项研究的作者说,强大的市场推销是刺激儿童肥胖泛滥的原因。有办法引导儿童食用健康食品,主要在于他们接触到的(那些广告宣传).
这个行业自我监督的尝试未能履行。比如,依照行业新标准,许多没有营养的麦片都符合"健康"食品。
像大嘴鸟,嘎吱上尉,美多麦可可麦片都很有名。ABC新闻也提到了这些麦片的生产商。他们坚持说他们正努力生产更营养的麦片,同时减少针对儿童的广告。
研究发现,与向成人推销的麦片相比,推销给孩子们的麦片含糖量多出85%,钠含量多出60%,纤维含量却少了65%.