Influence of Licensed Characters on Snack Preferences

Influence of Licensed Characters on Snack Preferences: Researchers studied how popular licensed cartoon characters appearing on food packaging affect young children’s taste and snack preferences. Forty 4- to 6-year-old children tasted 3 pairs of identical foods (graham crackers, gummy fruit snacks, and carrots) presented in packages either with or without a popular cartoon character. Children tasted both food items in each pair and indicated which one tasted better. Children then selected which of the food items they would prefer to eat for a snack. Children significantly preferred the taste of foods that had popular cartoon characters on the packaging. From the results it was concluded that, branding food packages with licensed characters substantially influences young children’s taste preferences and snack selection and does so most strongly for energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. These findings suggest that the use of licensed characters to advertise junk food to children should be restricted. Pediatrics 2010; 126(1):88-93