Kids Watch Unhealthy Food Ads

Most of the food commercials children are exposed to are for unhealthy products, according to a new study from the University of Illinois. Researchers calculated that in 2009, 86 percent of all food and drink ads, as well as 97 percent of snack commercials, featured products high in saturated fat, sugar, or oil. While these statistics show how television may influence kids’ abilities to make healthy eating choices, the good news is that children were exposed to fewer food commercials overall in 2009 than in 2003, due in part to the implementation of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Campaign.