1. neurophilosophy
  2. Branding the brain with the golden arches

Branding the brain with the golden arches

By neurophilosophy on August 8, 2007.

GoldenArches2.gifA new study by researchers at Stanford University shows that fast food branding affects the taste preferences of preschoolers.

3- to 5-year-old children from low-income families were given pairs of five identical foods and drinks and asked to indicate if which, if any, tasted better.

The children consistently reported preferring the foods and drinks in packaging form McDonald's over those presented to them in unbranded packaging. This was the case even if the food or drink tasted was not on the McDonald's menu.

The effect of branding was found to be greater in those children who had more television sets on their homes and those who ate McDonald's food more often.

The findings support the recent recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for tackling the obesity epidemic: that marketing of high-calorie, low-nutrient food should be regulated or banned altogther.

Reference:

Robinson, T. N., et al. (2007). Effects of fast food branding on young childrens' taste preferences. Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med.  161: 792-797. [Full text]

Related:

Tags
Psychology

More like this

McDonald's and Mere Exposure
Little kids love McDonald's: Hamburgers, french fries, chicken nuggets, and even milk and carrots all taste better to children if they think they came from McDonald's, a small study suggests. In taste tests with 63 children ages 3 to 5, there was only a slight preference for the McDonald's-branded…
US isn't the only one with diabetes problems
Sunday's New York Times has an article discussing the worldwide increase in diabetes: The number of people around the world suffering from diabetes has skyrocketed in the last two decades, from 30 million to 230 million, claiming millions of lives and severely taxing the ability of health care…
Child poverty remains high, with nearly 32 million American kids living in low-income families
Rarely do poverty and optimal health go together. In fact, income is consistently tapped as a major factor underpinning a person’s opportunity to live a long and healthy life. And children don’t fare much better, with low-income children facing increased risks of poor health and development. So,…
Two new studies find food policy interventions have support and impact
Five million dollars. That’s how much the fast food industry spends every day to peddle largely unhealthy foods to children. And because studies have found that exposure to food marketing does indeed make kids want to eat more, advertising is often tapped as an obvious way to address child obesity…

As a vegan and somewhat of a health-nut (full-disclosure: I'm drinking green tea and eating a bowl of cauliflower with avocado dip as I type this! :) ), the results of this study make me sick.