Creating an environment in which children in the United States grow up healthy should be a high priority for the nation. Yet the prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children in America represents, at best, a missed opportunity, and at worst, a direct threat to the health prospects of the next generation. Children's dietary and related health patterns are shaped by the interplay of many factorsâ€"their biologic affinities, their culture and values, their economic status, their physical and social environments, and their commercial media environmentsâ€"all of which, apart from their genetic predispositions, have undergone significant transformations during the past three decades. Among these environments, none have more rapidly assumed central socializing roles among children and youth than the media. With the growth in the variety and the penetration of the media have come a parallel growth with their use for marketing, including the marketing of food and beverage products. What impact has food and beverage marketing had on the dietary patterns and health status of American children? The answer to this question has the potential to shape a generation and is the focus of Food Marketing to Children and Youth. This book will be of interest to parents, federal and state government agencies, educators and schools, health care professionals, industry companies, industry trade groups, media, and those involved in community and consumer advocacy.

This innovative collection focusses on the experiential and hedonic aspects of food and the sociocultural, economic, ideological, and symbolic factors that influence how pleasure can contribute to consumer health, food education, and individual and societal wellbeing.

How food marketers make use of key variables—such as innovation; target market; market segmentation; image; and physical, environmental, and human resources—determines how successfully they sell their products. Michman and Mazze concentrate on the food industry as they examine what contributes to a successful marketing campaign. The authors discover that not all variables have to be used concurrently; some may be more important than others depending on environmental conditions, and the effective use of one variable may cancel the ineffectiveness of another. By focusing on the key variables to use in a volatile economic environment, by emphasizing lessons learned from both marketing successes and failures, and by demonstrating how to adapt key variables to changing conditions, Michman and Mazze help executives ensure the success of their marketing efforts. Mazze and Michman examine 10 institutional formats in the American food marketing and distribution structure—supermarkets, fast-food, ice cream, soup, breakfast cereal, baby food, ethnic food, snack food, candy and soft-drinks. The supermarket industry is analyzed first with an overview of food marketing and distribution. Specific industries are then analyzed using the five key variables (innovation, image, target market, physical environment, and human resources) with a historical framework to help managers learn from past marketing mistakes. The authors emphasize that avoidance of past mistakes is essential for sound marketing strategy, a fact illustrated by the examples of companies afflicted by injuries who have disregarded this advice.