Day 054 - 24 Nov 94 - Page 40

     
     1
     2   MS. STEEL:  If you just read out?
     3        A.  The relevant part of that sentence I wanted to read
     4        out:  "There is incontrovertible evidence that children's
     5        food choices can be influenced by television advertising".
     6
     7   Q.   Really, you are using these references to back up what you
     8        would say must be obvious, that advertising does have an
     9        effect on food choices?
    10        A.  Yes, I am using these references to illustrate that
    11        advertising does influence children's perceptions of food
    12        and their preferences and choices.  I think that is hardly
    13        surprising as that is the intended objective of
    14        advertisements.  One way in which advertising does this is
    15        by making foods familiar to children.  It is known that
    16        familiarity of foods is a factor in children's food
    17        choices.  For example, children learn about food and which
    18        foods they might like to eat initially mainly from their
    19        parents.  Parents will present foods to their child.  A
    20        child will see parents eating certain foods.  What is
         familiar (and this also has a cultural context) will become
    22        more acceptable to a child.
    23
    24        Certainly, advertising can help increase that familiarity
    25        of food.  There are surveys that have shown, studies that
    26        have shown, that children are more likely to choose an
    27        advertised product over a non-advertised product.  By
    28        making a food familiar through advertising, and the higher
    29        the level of advertising, the more likely that food is
    30        going to be seen as a familiar part of what a child might
    31        consider their food choices are, then they are more likely
    32        to choose that product over one which they are less
    33        familiar with.
    34
    35        I think the -----
    36
    37   Q.   Sorry, you were going to say something?
    38        A.  I was going to lead on to how this then might influence
    39        nutritional choices.
    40
    Q.   Right.  Does it tie in with what you were saying earlier
    42        about the overall nutritional messages that children would
    43        get from not just individual advertisers but the cumulative
    44        effect?
    45        A.  Yes, that is what I was going to go on to.  A child
    46        just does not see adverts individually; a child watches
    47        television and advertisements in their entirety, and it is
    48        that cumulative effect that I think one has to consider in
    49        relation to looking at what nutritional implications that
    50        may have for children's diets.  If I can refer you to the 
    51        Goldberg & Gorn paper that was also submitted this 
    52        morning  ----- 
    53
    54   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What was the reference there?
    55
    56   MS. STEEL:  It should be with the advertising ratings.
    57
    58   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That was the other new one which was handed?
    59
    60   MS. STEEL:   Yes.