Changes

Studies show that the CFBAI does not work, and that fast food companies still engage in practices that undermine healthy nutritional choices for kids. For example, Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity released a [http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=7981 study] that shows showed that between 2007 and 2009 (after the code went into effect) fast food companies have increased the amount of advertising aimed at kids, and that they often employ tricky, point-of-sale marketing practices that circumvent the Initiative and undermine these the companies' purported efforts to improve children's nutrition.  The Rudd Center concluded that despite the Initiative, fast food companies "speak to children early, often, and when parents are not looking." They also stated that, "Fast food is the most unhealthy food product marketed to children, other than sugar-sweetened beverages, and is relentlessly and aggressively targeted toward children starting as young as age two. Food marketing to children negatively influences the dietary choices and health of society's most vulnerable citizens. Given the childhood obesity epidemic at hand, we need meaningful solutions and real change." <ref>Rudd Center [http://www.fastfoodmarketing.org/ Fast Food Facts], Web site, accessed November 8, 2010</ref> ===Evading the Initiative===For the Yale study, tesearchers researchers looked at the marketing practices of 12 national fast food chains and evaluated nutritional data, -- like sugar, saturated fat and total calories, calorie -- for over 3,000 children's meal combos and 2,781 total menu items. Out of 3,039 possible meal combinations, only 12 met the nutritional standards set by the Institute of Medicine for preschoolers, and only 15 met the criteria for older children. They also found that children as young as two years old are were seeing more fast food ads than ever before. Researchers found that in 2009, preschoolers were exposed to 56% more ads for Subway, 21% more ads for McDonalds and 9% more ads for Burger King than in 2007. Slightly older kids saw even more fast food ads, and African-American youth were exposed to at least 50 percent more fast food ads than white youth. Ads targeted at preschoolers focus more on building name recognition and brand loyalty instead of promoting specific menu items. Fast food companies also have moved beyond television ads in their advertising practices. For example, McDonalds has 13 Web sites that get 365,000 unique child visitors between the ages of 2 and 11 and 294,000 unique visits form teens ages 12-18 every month. McDonalds starts targeting kids as young as age 2 with websites like Ronald.com.