Estimates are as high as $10 billion spent on advertising all types of food and beverages to America’s children and youth. According to the Federal Trade Commission report, "Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities, and Self-Regulation," 44 major food and beverage marketers spent $1.6 billion to promote their products to children under 12 and adolescents ages 12 to 17 in the United States in 2006. The report found that companies use an integrated approach to advertise food to youth that combines traditional media, such as television, packaging, in-store advertising, sweepstakes, and the Internet. These campaigns often involve cross-promotion with a new movie or popular television program.

In "Food for Thought: Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States," the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that children and adolescents see up to 6,100 televised food advertisements a year. Approximately a third of the ads are for candy and snacks, a fourth are for cereal, and a tenth are for fast food. Only 5% are for healthy foods/beverages such as dairy products and fruit juice. None are for fruits and vegetables.

Sources:
Federal Trade Commission. "Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities and Self-Regulation." A Report to Congress July 2008. www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/07/foodmkting.shtm.

Kaiser Family Foundation. "Food for Thought: Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States." 2007.
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/7618ES.pdf".