Hyderabad, June 25: Nowadays, cartoon characters pictures are used on junk food packages. It has been found that kids are attracted to junk food due to such cartoon characters. Shrek, Dora the Explorer, and other animated TV and movie stars are much-loved by children.
Putting an image of favourite cartoon characters on packaged children’s snacks has a strong influence on a child’s perception of how the product tastes, according to new research from Yale University.
Junk food, which bears cartoon characters on packages, makes health experts even more concerned about the magnetic effect they have on children. Mostly, Dora and SpongeBob SquarePants characters have been used to market fruits and vegetables but they are most often used on chips, candy, and other unhealthy snacks. The cartoon characters that appear on TV shows and movies influence the way kids eat. For example, when Scooby is seen eating more sugary junk food than good healthy veggies, the child will also want to follow suit, the researchers found.
“The bottom line is that when kids are presented with a choice of graham crackers, fruit snacks or carrots, and the only difference is that one package has a licensed character on it, they actually think that the food with the character tastes better,” says study author Christina Roberto, a doctoral student working at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.
–Agencies