Why do all the foods kids eat have to be "fun" or "cool" with all the freaky colors and stuff?

Question

On Saturday mornings, television is flooded with commercials for kids products. I understand the need for stimulus in toys but when I saw a commercial for some kind of candy that stamps a tattoo on your tongue and chips with jokes written on them I just about had it. Why do kids need their food to be sparkly or in fun packaging or neon colors or needs to do fun stuff? What the hell happened to graham crackers and apple juice?

Answer 1

Too many marketing 'geniuses' with too much time on their hands. Makes it harder for parents to raise healthy kids.

I can see the head lines in 20 years:
Sparkly neon liver disease in 20 to 30 yr olds linked to fun food additives. Class action lawsuit ensues.

Answer 2

Ha-ha! That's right! Well, the name of the game is advertising. Kids watch TV and see all that stuff advertised, and then they put the pressure on mom and dad to buy this and that, etc., and of course parents will buy the sparkly, colorful stuff just so the kids will shut up. And of course, some kids are picky eaters, so parents think the fun foods will perk their appetites.

There's not a thing wrong with graham crackers and apple juice. And there's a lot of creative stuff you can do at home with food, that's very simple and doesn't cost anything extra, like cutting sandwiches in different shapes with cookie cutters, or making faces on cookies with raisins or miniature marshmallows. What the heck! They're only kids once, and they grow up awfully fast.

My idea of getting kids to eat better, is to let them have a hand in the food preparation -- something simple like decorating cookies, mixing things, even simple meal planning. No need to break the bank or have to listen to the inane kiddie commercials when you can exercise your own ingenuity. Good luck!

Answer 3

I know! What is up with that? I just want to punch out whatever marketing person came up with some of these idiotic (brilliant?) ideas for selling food to kids. I will never understand Fruit Roll-Ups either. Just call it what it is- candy with almost zero nutritional value that's great at picking up lint off the cat. I raised my son on what most people would call bland foods, I guess- because I wanted to have control as long as possible before he went to school and started demanding the same junk food his friends were going to have. When kids are little, their 'virgin' palates, so to speak, don't require salt or extra sugar or all the fake stuff. But you know, inevitably, Grandma or another relative or friend is going to give them a candy bar or fruit loops or soft drinks, and it will blow your whole philosophy about food. If you have kids, just don't give in. Buy graham crackers and apple juice. If they beg for that junk, limit it to one wacky neon product per grocery store visit. That's what I try to do.

Answer 4

Graham crackers and apple juice is all that I had growing up.. heh heh.
Anyhow, I do believe that it is to get children interested in eating their food, however, this opinion is not valid unless the 'interesting look' is imposed on such foods as broccoli and lima beans. It is also just to make a profit, and get kids to bug the hell out of their parents to buy pointless items.

Answer 5

I really don't know.
I'm 17 and this is my moms account and when I was a child and even to this day i really don't want my ketchup to be green with sprinkles? lol
These agencies and companies think that if there is more to it, it looks better? Why can't we start promoting better health with these "cool" things? Like low sugar, no sugar added juices but in really delicious flavors? Or carrots with really good low fat fat free dip?
Food isn't supposed to be about fun it's supposed to be about feeding your hunger and thats it. It's fun for about 2 seconds then you eat it and then is it still fun when you digest it? lol

Answer 6

They don't.

It's just marketing. Parents who fall for it are crazy. My child ate whole foods, regardless of what was on TV. An occasional treat is okay, but in the end the parents are the ones in control

Turn off the TV. It will change your life.

Answer 7

Marketing has taken a turn towards "extreme" everything. With so many products screaming for your attention, they have to make everything completely outrageous to stand out amongst the others.

Answer 8

graham crackers and apple juice aren't marketable. they dont have a "hook". -survival of the fittest-- if it reaches out of the t.v. and grabs the kid by the throat and says you MUST have me, it sells, if it doesn't, it goes out of business. and nobody wants to go out of business.