Legal Issues in Marketing Directed at Children and Teenagers

In recent years, the food and beverage industry has viewed children and teenagers as a major market force. As a result, children and teenagers are now the target of intense and specialized marketing and advertising efforts. Food marketers are interested in youth as consumers because of their spending power, their purchasing influence and as future adult consumers. Multiple techniques and channels are used to reach youth, beginning when they are toddlers to foster brand-building and influence food product purchase behavior. Foods marketed to children are predominantly high in sugar and fat and as such are inconsistent with national dietary recommendations and the law of consumer protection. The purpose of this article is to examine the food advertising used to target children and teenagers in Romania, the impact of food advertising on eating behavior and current regulation and policies.