Foods Tastes Better With McDonald's Logo, Kids Say

Frodis · Aug 7, 2007

MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Most 3- and 5-year-olds who taste-tested a variety of foods said they preferred the ones in the McDonald's wrapper -- even though the foods were exactly the same, a new study finds.
The study suggests that, like adults, young children are highly influenced by branding, experts say.
"This study demonstrates simply and elegantly that advertising literally brainwashes young children into a baseless preference for certain food products," said Dr. David Katz, the director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
"Children, it seems, literally do judge a food by its cover. And they prefer the cover they know," said Katz, who was not involved in the research.
The study was led by Dr. Thomas Robinson, the director of the Center for Healthy Weight at Packard Children's Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics and of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, in Stanford, Calif. His team had 63 children, ages 3 and 5, sample five foods: chicken nuggets, a hamburger, french fries, baby carrots and milk.
The chicken nuggets, hamburger and french fries were all from McDonald's; the carrots and milk were from a grocery store.
Each sample was divided into two portions: one wrapped in a McDonald's wrapper or placed in a McDonald's bag and the other in a wrapper without the McDonald's logo.
After taste-testing, the children more often said the chicken nuggets, fries, carrots and milk wrapped in the McDonald's logo tasted better, even though the foods were exactly the same.
"Kids don't just ask for food from McDonald's," Robinson said in a prepared statement. "They actually believe that the chicken nugget they think is from McDonald's tastes better than an identical, unbranded nugget."
Further research revealed that one-third of the children ate at McDonald's more than once a week, and more than three-quarters had McDonald's toys at home. In addition, the children in the study had an average of 2.4 televisions in their homes. More than half the kids had a TV in their bedrooms.
"We found that kids with more TVs in their homes and those who eat at McDonald's more frequently were even more likely to prefer the food in the McDonald's wrapper," Robinson said. "This is a company that knows what they're doing. Nobody else spends as much to advertise their fast-food products to children." It is estimated that McDonald's spend more than $1 billion dollars per year on U.S. advertising.
"It's really an unfair marketplace out there for young children," Robinson said. "It's very clear they cannot understand the persuasive nature of advertising."
The report is in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
McDonald's responded by saying that it is dealing with the problem.
"This is an important subject, and McDonald's has been actively addressing it for quite some time," said McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker. "In fact, McDonald's is only advertising Happy Meals with white meat McNuggets, fresh apple slices and low-fat milk, a right-sized meal of only 375 calories," he said.
"The fact is, parents make the decisions for their children, and our research confirms that we've earned their trust as a responsible marketer based on decades of delivering the safest food, the highest quality toys and the kind of choice and variety today's families are looking for," Riker said.
Last December, McDonald's and nine other food companies announced the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. The company's agreed to devote at least half their advertising to promoting healthier choices for children.
But many experts remain unimpressed.
"There is general consensus among those of us in public health that the marketing of foods of poor nutritional quality to children should be regulated, if not abolished," Katz said.
Children in the United Sates are already subject to epidemic obesity and rising rates of what used to be adult onset diabetes, Katz said. Even greater threats, such as heart disease in adolescence, could become common should current trends persist, he added.
"We have a clear and compelling mandate to eliminate any influence we find that is propagating current trends," Katz said. "The branding of fast foods and junk foods into the minds of young children is one of those influences. When product familiarity is breeding ill health, it is time to put a stop to it."
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Your opinion on this?

Roxas is Hot · Aug 7, 2007

Sheesh, never knew kids could be so obsessed with Mickey D's anymore.

Repliku · Aug 7, 2007

Of course something is going to look cooler in a colorful package than just sitting on some generic plate. There are jeans that are the same as another pair except for a label, and people are willing to pay $80 bucks more. Sweaters that are less likely to stay together but have a nice label can cost a ton more than something of the same design but with more feasible cotton used. Anything in a prettier package, or that is talked up is grabbed by the untrained mind. If people learn about quality instead of how something looks on a plate, it'd be nice. There are wealthy restaurants where it can cost $100 bucks or A LOT more for a fancy plate of minimal food and yet people are willing to pay it because it's prepared by a great cook that takes his or her time to prepare the eye candy. Me...I'd rather just go pay 25 bucks and get a great steak and tons of food with side stuff, or pay less. Eat well, my friends.

Laurence_Fox · Aug 7, 2007

It's marketing is what this is.

Let me explain:

We all know the Golden Arches from a young age. It's such a successful symbol because: 1. it's simple 2. it's brightly colored. 3. it's easily recognizable.

Kids pick up on colors and anything directed at the kids is packed with it. Just look at the Happy Meal boxes/bags these days. The signs for the arches are red, yellow, and white. All colors kids learn about in kindergarten/preschool.

It's like the Pepsi/Coke taste test in the 80s. Except the kids see the McDonald's logo on the food and pick that one since it has something more to it then the plain wrappers which contain the same food.

Frodis · Aug 7, 2007

Good points.
-edit relized that I never to finish thyping this beecasue I had to chase an 2 year old that had sissors >___>-

But the parents give their (or say the food is from McD') children food that look likes it from McD it is goning to teach them bad habits.

EvilMan_89 · Aug 9, 2007

yea, it's a sort of brain washing. it's basically marketing. they make an impression so that you will keep coming back.

Inasuma · Aug 9, 2007

Of course children will want McDonalds over anything else. However, I'd say this test is quite flawed. These children are just that. Children. Their judgement could be still developing, and with that, their understanding of their surroundings. However, I am not surprised by this. It seems ever-so-likely for it to happen.

EvilMan_89 · Aug 10, 2007

i dunno, i think it affects more than just children. it's like how brand name clothes are over-rated and the cheap clothes look MUCH better. and yet the teens STILL buy the brand name clothes.

Ienzo · Aug 10, 2007

When I was little I was kind of like that, I loved McDonalds. I don't remember why though, the golden arches I always thought that was an M for McDonalds never arches.

he's-got-a-heart · Aug 10, 2007

Isn't is amazing that McD's actually made a loss one year...

But they sell tons of that grease all over the world! What's going on?

Ergh, McD's is gross! But I like their Rolo milkshakes!

Well for one think I don't think it's about kids showing off brand names, since in the UK at least McDs is about the cheapest food you can get. Probably just it's appeal I guess, purely psychological.

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