Fast-Food Companies Target Minority Youth

A recent report released by the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity details how fast-food companies have increased advertising that features their unhealthiest offerings, with a focus on minority youth.

More than one-third of youth eat fast food every day, which contributes to poor health and obesity. Fast-food ad spending in the US totaled $5 billion in 2019, a $400 million increase over the previous seven years, with youth seeing more than two fast-food TV ads per day. Fast-food companies also are active on social media, with 23 of the top 27 fast-food advertisers promoting on teen favorite TikTok.

Unhealthy fast-food options were more likely to be advertised than healthy ones, and those unhealthy fast-food ads were more likely to appear with TV programming for predominantly Black audiences. No healthy fast-food items were advertised on Spanish-language television in 2019, where fast-food spending has increase by 33% over the past seven years.

The report recommends that fast-food companies stop advertising nutritionally poor food offerings to young people and people of color. The report urges these companies to instead focus on healthier menu items in their advertising to make a positive impact on young people’s diets and long-term health. In addition, the report recommends governments take actions to protect children and teens, including limits on their exposure to fast-food promotion and implementation of nutrition standards.