Are Your Food Ads Racist?

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Junk food companies are spending a disproportionately high percentage of their marketing budgets on ads for black-targeted television channels, according to a new study from the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Spanish-language television is also a draw for junk food companies, although to a lesser degree overall.

The study defines black-targeted TV channels as those with a “high proportion of black individuals in the audience and/or whose ads were viewed disproportionately more by black teens relative to white teens.” The contrast is stunning: Black children see at least twice as many ads for sweets and sodas compared with white children.

Check out the results in the infographics below, and to see the full results of the study, click here.

infographic

University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity
infographic

University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

 

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YOUR GIFT DOUBLES THROUGH FRIDAY

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In a climate where journalists face mounting pressure to back down, stay silent, or soften their reporting, Mother Jones refuses to flinch. We’re pushing back against intimidation and delivering fierce, independent journalism that holds power accountable—no matter who’s trying to silence us.

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