Tuesday, August 7, 2007

McDonald's Wrapper is New Kiddie Pavlov Test

It's official, the miniature people amongst us have a definitive preference for food from McDonald's. Tots eyes light up like pinball machines when the wrapper appears around their food. Haute cuisine or home made meals can call it game over as the fine dining experience is a waste on the connoisseurs of Happy Meals, McNuggets © and small brave kids who tackle and actually conquer the Quarter Pounder©. Yes, they want fries with that and one of those luscious high fructose corn syrupy drinks. Branding that extends across generations and internationally is a corporation's dream.

... researchers say the children found the McDonald's-wrapped food was judged as far more appealing but when the children were not influenced by branding, they found both samples equally tasty.

McDonald's fries were judged tastiest by six times as many children as the same fires in plain packaged wrappers and the same applied to chicken nuggets.

It seems even milk and carrots, foods not as a rule associated with McDonald's, were rated as more appealing when packaged with the fast food's logo.

This link appeared to be strongest among children who ate fast food more often and among those with more than one TV set at home.

That is a serious issue and daunting challenge to the parents of a stubborn demanding pre-schooler. The wrapper makes the food desirable in this study, even carrots and other fresh foods. Child obesity is winning a battle, especially in the US, and the diets of pre-schoolers shows a preponderance of fast food. Developed nations worldwide have the same phenomenon.

Health care costs would drop with preventative measure. The best preventative measure is a healthy diet rather than the admonition to supersize everything. Supersize Me is the effects of branded food consumption come to life it. The Great American Detox Diet is a book that comes from requests of how the weight was lost after participating in the Supersize Me film.

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