Kids Prefer McDonald’s Over Generically-Wrapped Food
August 7, 2007 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Marketing
Surprise. Preschoolers prefer food wrapped in McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) wrappers over the exact same food packaged in generic wrappers. As the mother of 3-year old triplets, I have to say that this study was a waste of time and money. Is anyone surprised by these results?
A team of U.S. Researchers conducted this study headed by obesity prevention expert Dr. Thomas Robinson of the the Stanford University School of Medicine. The team conducted a taste test among 63 children between the ages of 3 and 5 who were enrolled in a Head Start preschool for low income families. The study determined that 60% of the children preferred the food wrapped in McDonald’s packaging over the same food wrapped in generic packaging.
I have so many issues with this study I don’t know where to begin. Here’s a quick list of the first things that pop into my mind:
- Young children are creatures of habit. Generally speaking, they know what they like, and they don’t like to try new things. Heaven forbid if I cut my kids’ sandwiches incorrectly. If it’s not cut the way they’re used to it, they want nothing to do with it. Even though it tastes exactly the same, they claim it is not. So for two reasons, I question the usefulness of the results of the study. First, were the kids used to eating at McDonald’s before they took the taste test? If so, they were undoubtedly comfortable with food from McDonald’s and naturally, would prefer it. They don’t understand that the food in the generic wrappers is exactly the same. Even if you tell them it’s the same, they don’t care. Second, were the generic wrappers a type of packaging that the children had seen before? Again, if they had no familiarity with it, they would naturally prefer the food in the wrapper they recognized for no other reason except they were used to it.
- Why was this study conducted only among low-income families? What are the researchers trying to say? I’m not even going to get into the many problems I have with the research team making sweeping claims and reports based on such a limited test.
- Studies like this are blaming fast food restaurants and snack food companies for childhood obesity. I think that’s ridiculous. The fast food restaurants aren’t shoving french fries down children’s throats. Someone is buying it for them and feeding it to them. In response to the negative backlash related to childhood obesity, fast food restaurants and snack food companies are changing their advertising. For example, McDonald’s had a recent ad campaign in which Shrek was on a diet and focused on their healthier menu items. Isn’t it bad enough that kids are going on unhealthy diets at younger and younger ages each year? Not only do they have to live up to unhealthy models, actresses, etc., but now even Shrek has a poor body image. Sounds like they’re trading one problem for another.
Bottomline, I think the researchers behind this study missed a critical point. Shouldn’t they focus on changing the attitudes, perceptions and buying habits among the people who are buying unhealthy foods for kids rather than the perceptions of the kids themselves?
When you were a kid, if your parents had allowed you, wouldn’t you have eaten junk food in excess? Candy for breakfast, cookies for lunch and ice cream for dinner would have sounded like the perfect menu for me when I was five, but there is no way my mother would have allowed me to eat those foods in excess. Now, with my own children, they earn snack foods as a special treat. I’m not a tyrant about limiting junk food, but we certainly don’t go to McDonald’s everyday. I just don’t get it. What do you think? Are these studies and advertising changes going to make a difference?
I have to completely agree with your assessment.
Kids only like the things they are use to. It could be broccoli and not candy or cookies. They usually eat what they are exposed to. This is a parent, guardian or anyone else in charge of a child who has many reasons for eating fast food.
All studies must be done across the board, not just the low-incoming people.
Any ammunition we can get against McDs is good. When parents and other health-conscious people shout “you’re killing our kids”, we want to have everything backed up with hard facts and statistics. Obviously, McDs spends a boatload on advertising so kids recognise them — but a study always helps make things credible to skeptics.
When I was young, fast food (more than candy/soda which I could buy at any corner store) was like crack to me. We craved it! And in the end, I don’t really know why.
“When you were a kid, if your parents had allowed you, wouldn’t you have eaten junk food in excess?”
At my house we’re radical unschoolers and we believe in food freedom; so although I HATE McDonalds, Cedar gets it sometimes. Because we’ve never made him eat any one sort of food his diet is very well balanced. I’d allow him to eat candy for breakfast but he very rarely would. I think when we allow kids to learn to feed their bodies themselves they learn when they need; an apple vs. bread vs. chocolate. Part of this, is of course having whole grains, veggies, and other ‘healthy’ stuff around and eating that kind of food yourself, but part of it is also allowing kids to learn to nourish themselves.
I can see the difference too. Cedar has tons of friends who have parents who say, “Candy (or whatever junk) is bad and you can’t have it unless you eat this broccoli.” I think it’s when you turn a food into a treat like that, that kids go crazy for it. How I can tell, is that Cedar has a snack shelf at his disposal with fruits, crackers, veggies, candy, cookies, and other items. I almost never have to restock the ‘junk food’ portions of the shelf.
BUT when his friends who are only allowed that stuff as treats come over that’s the first thing they go for. Cedar will be eating a red pepper and his friends are munching down all his candy. It happens over and over.
I don’t think everyone needs to live the same way. Still, in my home and the homes of others who have food freedom it’s always the same. Kids can and will make smart choices if they grow up being allowed to do so. I’m glad you said you’re not a tyrant about food because so many parents I know are and I worry that their kids are going to hit college and finally have food freedom and go nuts.
Sorry, whew, had to get that out.
But about the post, from a study point of view — I totally agree with your entire run down. I had no idea about the Shrek deal and I think it’s horrid. I also agree that why do they even need a study — McD is on TV kids are going to want it no matter what. Even if they don’t think it tastes good. They want the brand big time.
Cedar who voluntarily eats hardly any candy or treat items wants the stuff he sees on TV all the time anyway. Just today he said this about gogurts (or something) treats, “I want them because they have BIG watermelon taste” — right out of the darn commercial. We got them, but 10 to 1 they’ll be sitting on his shelf three weeks from now uneaten. They should have given the money to the head start program instead of using it for this study.
You know, you take up an awful lot of my blog reading time lately with such think-inspiring posts. I neglect other blogs — you must be a very good brand :)
Jennifer, I never heard of food freedom before, but I like it. I think I’ll have to give that a try! I’d love for the triplets to make their own decisions about healthy food. I do agree that the “forbidden” becomes the most interesting and desired!