Food, Health Children – Juvenile Advertising

Abstract

The main objective of this essay was to discuss the regulation of advertising to children and adolescents. In methodological terms, it included the points of view of the food industry, associations of advertisers, government, and organizations representing consumers. We analyzed ethics in advertising, social representations, and studies that investigate the influence of gifts on purchase behavior and nutritional anthropology. The discussion proposed in the essay revolves around the influence of advertising on food choices of children and youth, and the central issue is to consider whether such influences are ethically justified and whether the food consumed would contribute to health risks, such as weight gain and obesity. The results suggest that advertisements influence food choices and often promote products of questionable nutritional quality.