UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, University of Connecticut, One Constitution Plaza Suite 600, Hartford, CT06103, USA.
Public Health Nutr. 2020 Apr;23(6):1127-1135. doi: 10.1017/S1368980019003756. Epub 2020 Feb 4.
Extensive marketing of 'toddler milks' (sugar-sweetened milk-based drinks for toddlers) promotes unsubstantiated product benefits and raises concerns about consumption by young children. The present study documents trends in US toddler milk sales and assesses relationships with brand and category marketing.
We report annual US toddler milk and infant formula sales and marketing from 2006 to 2015. Sales response models estimate associations between marketing (television advertising spending, product price, number of retail displays) and volume sales of toddler milks by brand and category.
US Nielsen retail scanner sales and advertising spending data from 2006 to 2015.
Researchers analysed all Universal Product Codes (n 117·4 million) sold by seven infant formula and eight toddler milk brands from 2006 to 2015.
Advertising spending on toddler milks increased fourfold during this 10-year period and volume sales increased 2·6 times. In contrast, advertising spending and volume sales of infant formulas declined. Toddler milk volume sales were positively associated with television advertising and retail displays, and negatively associated with price, at both the brand and category levels.
Aggressive marketing of toddler milks has likely contributed to rapid sales increases in the USA. However, these sugar-sweetened drinks are not recommended for toddler consumption. Health-care providers, professional organizations and public health campaigns should provide clear guidance and educate parents to reduce toddler milk consumption and address misperceptions about their benefits. These findings also support the need to regulate marketing of toddler milks in countries that prohibit infant formula marketing to consumers.
大量推销“幼儿奶”（含糖的牛奶饮料，供幼儿饮用）宣传了未经证实的产品功效，并引起了人们对幼儿饮用此类产品的担忧。本研究记录了美国幼儿奶销售的趋势，并评估了品牌和类别营销之间的关系。
我们报告了 2006 年至 2015 年美国幼儿奶和婴儿配方奶粉的年度销售和营销情况。销售反应模型估计了营销（电视广告支出、产品价格、零售展示数量）与品牌和类别幼儿奶销售量之间的关系。
美国尼尔森零售扫描销售和广告支出数据，2006 年至 2015 年。
研究人员分析了 2006 年至 2015 年期间七个婴儿配方奶粉和八个幼儿奶品牌销售的所有通用产品代码（n 11740 万）。
在这 10 年期间，幼儿奶的广告支出增加了四倍，销售量增加了 2.6 倍。相比之下，婴儿配方奶粉的广告支出和销售量都有所下降。幼儿奶的销售量与电视广告和零售展示呈正相关，与价格呈负相关，在品牌和类别层面均如此。
幼儿奶的积极营销可能是美国销售量迅速增长的原因。然而，这些含糖饮料不建议幼儿饮用。医疗保健提供者、专业组织和公共卫生运动应该提供明确的指导，教育家长减少幼儿奶的消费，并纠正对其益处的误解。这些发现也支持了在禁止向消费者推销婴儿配方奶粉的国家对幼儿奶营销进行监管的必要性。
