Hide the Children: Ronald McDonald is on the Way!

In a recent study conducted by Dr. Tom Robinson, preschoolers declared that anything made my McDonald's tastes better!

The study involved 63 low-income children ages 3 to 5 from Head Start centers in San Mateo County, Calif. Just two of the 63 children studied said they'd never eaten at McDonald's, and about one-third ate there at least weekly. Most recognized the McDonald's logo but it was mentioned to those who didn't.

In the study, the children were given identical foods in name-brand and unmarked wrappers. The unmarked foods consistently lost the taste test. Even carrots, milk and apple juice were said to taste better when they were wrapped in the familiar packaging of the Golden Arches. (Robinson's complete study is published in the August issue Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.) Study author Dr. Tom Robinson said the kids' perception of taste was "physically altered by the branding."

Parents and child advocacy groups have long maintained that advertising targeted to children can be harmful, since young minds are not able to distinguish truth from advertising. "By age two", said Robinson, "children can already form beliefs about brands, and advertising during children's television programming, or through other media accessed by children, further solidifies their ability to distinguish brand names, logos and packaging". Not surprisingly, the study found that, kids with more access to television in their homes, and those who owned more toys from McDonald's were more likely to say the branded foods tasted better.

McDonald's company spokesman Walt Riker had the following to say, "This is an important subject and McDonald's has been actively addressing it for quite some time. We've always wanted to be part of the solution and we are providing solutions." McDonald's says the only Happy Meals it will promote to young children will contain fruit and have fewer calories and less fat.

But Dr. Victor Strasburger, an author of an American Academy of Pediatrics policy urging limits on marketing to children, said the study shows that their clearly isn't enough being done. "Advertisers have tried to do exactly what this study is talking about, to brand younger and younger children, to instill in them an almost obsessional desire for a particular brand-name product," he said.

Robinson agrees, he said "While commendable, it's hardly enough." Robinson believes that there should be no advertising at all aimed at children under the age of eight.

The study is likely to stir more debate over the movement to restrict ads to kids. It comes less than a month after 11 major food and drink companies, including McDonald's, announced new curbs on marketing to children under 12. In response to the growing obesity problem in the U.S., companies including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kellogg, and Kraft created the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative last year to self-regulate the $10 billion worth of food and beverage messages they aim at young children each year. The initiative pledges to promote healthy lifestyles for children by giving them healthier food and drink choices.

"It's a good start", says Robinson. "So far we have seen baby steps toward improving menus, but it remains to be seen whether these companies will follow through on their promises."

With the famed Golden Arches popping up just about everywhere now, including children's sports tournaments, playgrounds, children's television programming, we can only hope that McDonalds and other major junk food companies will make a change for the better- because with an Arch on every corner it will be impossible to hind our children!

SOURCE: Study: Food in MCDonald's wrapper tastes better to kids. CNN. Monday August 6, 2007