title: A menagerie of promotional characters: promoting food to children through food packaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the extent to which (1) promotional characters are used on food packaging for healthful and less-healthful food and (2) different companies use this persuasive marketing strategy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional supermarket audit of all food and beverages featuring promotional characters on the packaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three Australian supermarket chains.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequency of observed products, package size, nutritional composition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequencies and bivariate analyses was conducted. Nutritional composition (healthful vs less healthful) was analyzed by character type and company type, that is, whether the company was signed to the Australian Food and Grocery Council Responsible Marketing to Children Initiative (RMCI) signatory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Products featuring promotional characters on packaging (n = 352) were predominantly less-healthful food and beverages (70%). [corrected]. Nutritional composition varied significantly by character type, with 69% of products with sportspersons, celebrities, or movie tie-ins being healthful, compared with 38% of licensed and 16% [corrected] of company-owned characters. Only 13 of the 75 companies using characters on packaging were RMCI signatory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Promotional characters are largely used on food packaging to promote less-healthful food to children. Most of these characters are company-owned characters that are not subject to any form of regulation in Australia. Further efforts to limit this form of marketing to children are required.
authors: Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia. lana.hebden@sydney.edu.au
authors: Lana
authors: L
authors: Hebden
authors: Lesley
authors: L
authors: King
authors: Bridget
authors: B
authors: Kelly
authors: Kathy
authors: K
authors: Chapman
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Innes-Hughes
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising / Q000379:methods*; D001315:Australia; D002359:Cartoons as Topic; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018857:Food Packaging / Q000379:methods*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009753:Nutritive Value