In a study that was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers evaluated the standards followed by marketers of food ads for children vis-a-vis the nutritional guidelines proposed by industry experts.

The researchers studied 103 shows aimed at children under 12 years of age, on two cable channels and five broadcast networks, which comprised a total of 354 food ads. The period of the study was between February and April 2013.

The study concluded that in a majority of food ads analyzed, the nutrition benchmarks were not adhered to, and therefore the companies' ads did not incorporate the requirements. The present guidelines that bring out the nutritional fitness of food items were drafted in 2011 by four federal agencies including the Department of Agriculture, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, together forming the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Foods Marketed to Children.

The proposal brought forward had guidelines limiting saturated fat to 1 gram or less, trans fat to less than 0.05 grams, sodium to 210 milligrams or less and added sugars to 13 grams or less per individual product serving size. When pitted against these suggested guidelines, the TV food ads fell short on many accounts.

It was reported that while 90 percent of the ads examined comply with the trans-fat guidelines, only about 20 percent were good on sugar limitations. About 60-70 percent of them meet the terms related to saturated fat. In all, a puny two percent conformed to all the health guidelines.

However, Dan Jaffe, group executive Vice-President of the Association of National Advertisers, a trade group representing major food marketers, felt otherwise. He contested the IWG's claims as being overboard and inappropriate, because of being very stringent.

Thus, a middle ground needs to be reached between what the experts profess and what seems reasonable.