Half of U.S. adults will be obese by 2010

"A team of international public health experts argued [in a recent report in the British medical journal the Lancet] that the global obesity crisis will continue to grow worse and add substantial burdens to health-care systems and economies unless governments, international agencies and other major institutions take action to monitor, prevent and control the problem.

"Changes over the past century in the way food is made and marketed have contributed to the creation of an 'obesogenic' environment in which personal willpower and efforts to maintain a healthful weight are largely impossible, the report noted."

Generation trends to dictate future eating patterns in Canada

"The market research organization The NPD Group said in its latest report, A Look into TheFuture of Eating – Canadian Marketplace, that eating patterns over the coming ten years will be influenced by generational preferences, as well as differences in eating habits that come with age. For instance, it is likely that Canadian Baby Boomers will seek out more convenience foods, while Canadians currently aged 18 and younger will skip more meals . . .

" . . . Two of the top food groups forecast to gain in importance in Canada are salty and savory snacks, and easy meals such as yogurt and snack bars, NPD said. Two of the food groups expected to lose importance are heat and eat breakfasts and combination dishes."

Kids' food market set to boom with products for generation XL

According to a new report from the marketing research firm Packaged Facts, the next five years will see manufacturers portraying themselves as the solution to the childhood obesity problem.

"While the bulk of packaged retail products targeting kids (a $10 billion market in 2010) were in ‘traditional’ categories such as cereals and ice cream, 40 percent had some better-for-you element, with claims such as ‘made with whole wheat’ or ‘lower sugar’, it noted."

Fast Food Restaurants Dish Up Unhealthy Marketing to Youth

Can you believe it?  The U. S. fast food industry spent more than $4.2 billion on marketing and advertising in 2009, according to a new study from Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.  Companies are stepping up their marketing to children, and it's working.
 

The full report and tools for consumers and researchers are available at www.fastfoodmarketing.org. Follow the conversation on Twitter at the hashtag #fastfoodfacts.