Cartoon characters on food packaging often promote unhealthy snacks to kids, study finds
New research describes pervasiveness of marketing to kids on food packaging in Canada
CALGARY, AB, Nov. 25, 2025 /CNW/ – From your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man to the Paw Patrol pups, the colourful characters on food packaging aren’t just enticing to your kids – they are promoting unhealthy food inside the wrapper too, new research reveals.
“This new research shows the pervasive use of child-friendly cartoons to sell foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat to kids,” says Dr. Charlene Elliott, the University of Calgary communications professor who led the study. “This matters because the evidence clearly shows that cartoon appeals are a powerful way to target children, impacting their food preferences and the amount they pester their parents for these products.”
The research, funded by Heart & Stroke, identified 2,737 child-targeted food products featuring cartoon appeals across a 16-store audit. These cartoon appeals appeared across every food category, and the overwhelming majority were ultra-processed foods, with candy, chocolate, cereal, cookies and fruit snacks topping the list. Only 1% of the products were fresh vegetables or fruit.
In 2023, Health Canada released nutrition criteria to support proposed restrictions on marketing food to children. Using these criteria, Dr. Elliott assessed the products and found that over 92% of those featuring child-friendly cartoons on their packaging exceeded the nutrient thresholds outlined in Health Canada’s proposed guidelines for advertising to children.
Examining the use of media characters was also part of the study. It found kids could see up to 54 products with media characters, such as Minions or Super Mario Bros., in just one store visit.
“These results show that marketing to kids has become part of the landscape – it’s everywhere – and most of the foods wouldn’t even meet Health Canada’s proposed nutrition criteria for advertising to kids,” Elliott says.
These findings reinforce the need for policies to restrict the marketing of unhealthy foods to kids, says Manuel Arango, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, Heart & Stroke.
“Regulations have been stalled, and it’s no secret that the food industry has been actively lobbying against these regulations. We want Health Canada to move forward with its proposal to help protect kids from becoming the target of marketers,” Arango says.
The results also highlight the critical need for continuous monitoring of food and beverage packaging targeted at children, to enable future measures that protect them from these marketing tactics that shape their eating habits.
“Dr. Elliott’s research adds further evidence that restrictions on marketing to kids should be adopted without delay,” says Doug Roth, CEO, Heart & Stroke. “Kids deserve to be protected from these manipulative tactics.”
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SOURCE Heart and Stroke Foundation
