Marketing food is heightened interest to food manufacturers for a few reasons. The food industry is intensely competitive, with companies competing for a limited amount of ‘stomach share’.
Along with increased food availability is the massive increase in advertising and marketing for food products.
Many of the products food manufacturers produce are similar, and so companies use advertising to differentiate their brands.
According to a study published in 2003 by US Department of Agriculture, food manufacturers spent $7 billion on advertising in the United States in 1997.
The US food marketing system is the second largest advertiser in the US economy.
Food products accounts for significant percentage of television commercials, but not all foods are advertised equally.
Although product advertising may result in a public health benefit when the advertising promotes healthful products, the majority of the debate about food product marketing focuses around those products that may have harmful effects particularly among children.
Children in the United States are exposed to about 20 food commercials for every hour of television and the majority of these advertisements are high in fat, sugar and salt.
Beyond television, there are a multitude of other promotional practices designed to make children desire specific food products, including web sites, in school marketing, sales promotion, product placement, event sponsorships and movie tie-ins.
Food advertisement in United States
