In the past, I’ve talked about how food marketers play a large role in how we and our kids are getting heavier by the day. Now there may be evidence that African Americans are specifically targeted, and suffering the consequences.
According to an article in the American Journal of Public Health, which examined marketing and advertising studies conducted between 1992 and 2006, there is a disparity between how food is marketed to blacks and whites.
Unfortunately, this piece on the subject over at Advertising Age doesn’t really give a convincing argument. The one piece of evidence plays into the concerns that are being addressed in Los Angeles: that in some black neighborhoods, it’s easier to find a fast-food restaurant than it is a grocery store.
While there are a number of factors, including economic and cultural, that contribute to the dilemma, head researcher Sonya Grier emphasized that marketers have gone to great lengths to change their positioning for different demographics.
