The Power of Packaging

Have you ever cooked up a hamburger for your child only to hear this? "It's not good because it's not from McDonald's!"

Maybe you thought your kid was just being stubborn, but he or she may just be tuned into advertising. A recent study from Stanford shows just how powerful product packaging and a label can be in the mind of youngsters. The researchers offered identical McDonald's foods to 63 preschoolers, some of which was packaged in plain wrappers and some that was emblazoned with the familiar golden arches.

Turns out the kids were quite sure that the food marked by the McDonald's brand was much tastier than the identical foods in plain wrappers. Researches also found that this was especially true with kids who live in homes with more televisions.

This study shows that even little kids (remember this study was done with pre-schoolers) are very susceptible to advertising and marketing.

More About Fast Foods and Kids

• Fast Food Calculator
• Can Hot Dogs Cause Brain Tumors?
• How Do I Avoid the Junk Food Trap?

Daily Nutrition Tip