"I want people to know that childhood obesity isn't as simple as TV and the press make it seem," confesses 12-year-old Maggie, "No matter how hard you try, it's always going to be an ongoing battle." She sits hunched over her computer camera in tears after reportedly "swimming 4 times a week" and adhering to "a well-balanced diet" without seeing results. At 212 lbs and only in middle school, she isn't an anomaly but one of many. Maggie shares all this and more in the 2015 documentary Fed Up, which aims to understand why our American children are grossly overweight.
For decades, the approach to fighting the obesity epidemic in America has been to target the individual: eat less, exercise more– but this solution stands as an overlook to the root cause of why America's children continue to pack on the pounds– why children like Maggie exist. Unsurprisingly, it is all to do with the emerging economic practice of the late 20th century, which we now find integral, though unspoken, in our great obesity plight today– Behavioral Economics.
First emerging as a claim that Economic actors are irrational and sometimes don't always act according to self-interest, the field grew to a leviathan whose insights have been applied across various sectors, including finance, marketing, healthcare, public policy, and the food industry. Simply, it is the side of Economics that yearns to know how we act and why. In applications of Behavioral Economics, above all other fields, the real money lies in the grocery store. For decades, food companies have consulted with Behavioral Economists who specialize in determining and studying child developmental psychology and what piques their interest. "Several studies show that when children are watching television, especially with food commercials, they're primed to eat more," says Dr. Deborah Cohen of the Rand Corporation. For example, in one study conducted by researchers from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, 118 children aged 7-11 were asked to watch a 14-minute cartoon while eating Goldfish. During the commercial break, some subjects were exposed to game and entertainment ads, while others were exposed to food ads. Those who watched the ads for unhealthy foods had a 45% increase in Goldfish eaten than those who didn't. The study revealed telling signs that companies know how to market to children, so much so that their behavior is changed altogether. The dominance that the fast food and processed food industry has leveraged on America is astounding. San Diego State University researchers found that 89% of Children aged 4-8 recognized the McDonald's logo, and 86% recognized the Burger King logo.
It begs the question, then, what makes the ingenious marketing of applied Behavioral Economic theory so persuasive to our children? Years of increasing obesity rates in America, and the ever-expanding waistlines of our youth, find that it is more than simple advertising tactics, but a strategy of emotion and gross manipulation. In a 2014 study, 37 Guatemalan children aged 7-12 were asked to select the packaging they liked the best on processed food products. Visual elements influenced children's selection of favorite packaging (imagery, colors, vibrancy, etc.) and persuaded some children to incorrectly think certain foods contained healthy ingredients. Accordingly, the central motive to why children want to reach for a new sugary snack doesn't inherently lie in the taste, but in how well the packaging was designed to cater to children's emotions. Those with knowledge of Behavioral Economics know that any small alteration in text, color, or shape of a product can result in various reactions.
And further to catering packaging to children, this issue is especially exacerbated when placing known cartoon characters on products (i.e., Scooby-Doo on a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, SpongeBob on a packet of Kellog's fruit snacks) that enforces a connection to a new food, with a character they're already familiar with, or even spend countless hours watching. Beyond the realm of cartoon characters, celebrity appearances and endorsements of unhealthy snack brands generate an appeal to a product that is often regarded as a cultural or iconographic moment. Think of Michael Jackson's or Cindy Crawford's campaigns for Pepsi– two commercials that have garnered cultural significance, all surrounding a food brand that remains integral to the memory of the American people.
Alongside celebrity endorsements, Framing and Perception Value principles are heavily exploited in the fast food industry to use pricing strategies and portion sizes that create the perception of value for money. Offering "value meals" or supersized options for a slightly higher price makes customers feel they are getting a good deal, even if these options are calorie-dense. Though McDonald's eliminated its "Supersize" option in March 2004, surplus portions in "value meals" have remained a mainstay. Though these value meals are often not fed to children, McDonald's Happy Meals and other value meals catered towards children at a lower cost encourage parents to indulge their children for efficiency and lack of expense. A professor of food marketing at St. Joseph's University, John Stanton, says that McDonald's is following in the footsteps of a legacy of American advertisers. "Charles Revson of Revlon used to say, 'In the factories, we make cosmetics, but at counters, we sell hope.'" he says. "McDonald's is saying, 'Yeah, there's this stuff in this box, but this experience is going to make you feel good — happy.'" In this explicit naming of the value meal designed for children, "happy," it uses emotional appeals in its advertising, linking its products to feelings of happiness, belonging, and fun. This can create positive associations between the brand and pleasurable experiences, influencing children's preferences. And despite how unethical this preying upon the young mind may appear, it is not stopping anytime soon.
As society progresses and America continues to develop and industrialize, the trends toward greater childhood obesity will only change with less marketing manipulation. Especially in utilizing Behavioral Economics principles of packaging, framing, perception of value, and celebrity endorsements, specifically tailored to children's tastes, there should remain no question why the young mind is deceived and is frighteningly inclined to consume more than needed. Behavioral Economics, for the good that it was created, opened Pandora's Box to an elevated struggle of obesity for decades that we are still fighting today.
Works Cited
Heil, Emily.“The Happy Meal, a triumph of marketing blamed for childhood obesity, is turning 40.” The Washington Post, 6 November. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/11/06/the-happy-meal-a-triumph-of-marketing-blamed-for-childhood-obesity-is-turning-40/
Lerona, Paula. “A qualitative study of children’s snack food packaging perceptions and preferences.” BMC Public Health, 15 December. 2014,
Mindlin, Alex. “Snack Ads Spur Children to Eat More.” The New York Times, 19 July. 2009,
Jacobs, Gina. “Overweight Kids Readily Recognize Fast Food Logos.” San Diego State University, 9 February. 2009,