Big Food Firms Are Keeping Their Pledges To Advertise Healthier Foods To Kids - Report

The U.S. Council of Better Business Bureaus has issued a progress report for 2009 on food and beverage marketing to children that says participating companies “continue to demonstrate excellent compliance” with voluntary pledges to advertise healthier foods to children. The report focuses on companies that have signed on to the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI). Healthier food goals are being achieved by 17 big food and beverage manufacturers through “reformulation and innovation,” according to the report. A review of TV ads directed at kids over 38 hours of children’s programming in 2010 found that more than 75 percent of the ads touted products providing at least 10 percent of the Daily Value of a “shortfall”  nutrient in kids’ diets or a half-serving of a recommended food group.