Empirical Study on Effect of Food and Beverage Advertisements on Food Habits of Children with special reference to Bhopal City

Children’s screen dependency is increasing day by day. They are either glued on television screen or on mobile phone screen most of the time. It has been proved in several studies that exposure to food ads on television has direct impact on food habits of children. Food and beverage companies apply various marketing techniques like toys, giveaways along with food products which insist them to buy that product. Cartoon characters, attractive packaging, and musical ads of food and beverage attract young children towards them. Pediatricians accept that fast food and snacks contains high level of sugar, saturated fat, high in calories and low in nutrition. Study concludes that majority of parents (69%) agreed that they know fast food and snacks are unhealthy for their child but they cannot stop them from eating that food. Sixty five percents respondents said that television viewing and exposure to food ads have made their kids stubborn. They demand for those food items which they have seen on television ads. Majority of parents (56%) especially fathers fulfill their kid’s demand. This study shows that food and beverage advertisements affect children’s eating habits. Food ads have made them fond of fast foods and snacks.