Selling Candy to Kids: Resources
Reports and Articles:
- Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health — FACTS Report (2022)
Shows how food companies still heavily market unhealthy foods to kids despite self-regulation promises.
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health — FACTS Report (2017)
A 10-year review showing industry self-regulation has not meaningfully improved marketing to children.
- Licensed characters influence children’s taste preferences, Christina A. Roberto et al. (2010)
Kids think food tastes better when familiar characters are on the packaging—even when it’s the same food.
- Do images of food on kids’ clothes influence eating behavior?, Megan H. Pesch et al. (2019)
Kids’ clothing often promotes unhealthy foods, with different means of targeting boys vs. girls.
- Trends in Children’s Exposure to Food and Beverage Advertising on Television, Lisa M. Powell et al. (2024)
Even today, kids are still widely exposed to unhealthy food advertising on television.
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health–– TV Advertising Trends (2017 Update)
Children are still exposed to large volumes of unhealthy food ads on TV.
Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US, Mary Story & Simone French (2004)
Foundational research showing how marketing shapes children’s food preferences and diets.
- Healthy Eating Research — Digital marketing recommendations (2023)
Offers evidence-based strategies to protect kids from harmful digital food marketing.
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health — Teens’ engagement with food brands on social media (2020)
Teens actively follow and interact with unhealthy food brands online.
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health — Food marketing on educational websites (2020)
Even school-related websites expose kids to unhealthy food marketing.
Rethinking Children’s Advertising Policies for the Digital Age, Angela J. Campbell. (2017)
Explains why current policies fail to regulate modern digital marketing.
- Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health –– Food Marketing in Schools
Shows how marketing reaches children even in educational settings.
- Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health –– Targeted food and beverage advertising to Black and Hispanic consumers (2022)
Documents how food companies disproportionately target Black and Hispanic youth.
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health –– Targeted Marketing Disparities (2019)
Shows increasing disparities in unhealthy food advertising exposure.
Black Enterprise –– How Advertisers Targeted Black Consumers in the 1970s (2015)
Provides historical context for targeted marketing practices.
- Michelle Obama at the Grocery Manufacturers Association Conference (2010)
Highlights national efforts to encourage healthier food marketing to children.
- UNICEF –– Food marketing policy toolkit (2025)
Provides guidance for governments to protect children worldwide.
UNC Global Food Research Program — Global marketing policies (2023)
Compares how countries regulate food marketing to children.
Federal Trade Commission — Follow-up report (2012)
Shows limited progress in reducing harmful marketing.
Federal Trade Commission — Food marketing to children (2008)
Landmark report detailing industry spending and tactics.
Federal Trade Commission & HHS — Marketing and childhood obesity (2006)
Explores the role of industry self-regulation vs. government oversight.
Government Regulation of Food Marketing to Children: The Federal Trade Commission and the Kid-Vid Controversy”, Tracy Western (2006)
Explains early attempts—and failures—to regulate food marketing to children.
Washington Post Editorial: The FTC as ‘National Nanny’, also here (1978)
Shows how efforts to protect children from junk food marketing were framed as government overreach and ultimately shut down.
- American Heart Association — Food marketing policy statement (2024)
Links food marketing directly to cardiovascular health risks in children.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Childhood obesity trends (2023)
Shows the scale of the health crisis linked to diet and environment.
American Academy of Pediatrics — Digital advertising policy (2020)
Calls for stronger protections against digital marketing to children.
- Emerging Evidence on How Food Marketing Affects Adolescents’ Diets and Long-Term Health, Jennifer L. Harris et al. (2020)
Connects marketing exposure to long-term diet and health outcomes.
- Institute of Medicine— Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity? (2006)
Foundational report establishing marketing as a driver of childhood obesity.
- Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health (University of Connecticut)
Dive into the most extensive research on how food marketing shapes kids’ diets, and the policies that can help protect children.
See how food companies use sophisticated digital tactics to target kids—and how advocates are pushing back.
Explore evidence-based studies and policy recommendations to reduce harmful food marketing to children.
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
See how research and advocacy are driving policy change around food marketing and public health.
Partnership for a Healthier America
Learn how nonprofits and companies are working together to make healthier food more accessible for families.
Fairplay (formerly Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood)
Discover advocacy efforts to protect kids from manipulative marketing and digital advertising.
Learn how digital marketing ecosystems track and target children and what policies can address them.
