Fast food ads continue to disproportionately target Black and Latino youth

As of 2019, ad spending for fast food had increased by $400 million since 2012—and fast-food ad campaigns disproportionately target Black and Latino youth, Medical News Today reports. These findings come from the 2021 Fast Food Facts report published by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut, which characterizes fast-food consumption among youth as “a significant public health concern.” On a given day, one-third of children and teens eat fast food. And fast-food consumption is higher for Latino and non-Latino Black teens, who also face greater risks for “diet-related diseases” compared to non-Latino white young people. What the report did not touch on is how poverty and the prevalence of food deserts affect the food options available to low-income Black and Latino communities, which tend to have fewer large supermarkets offering fresh fruits and vegetables. Transportation to and from larger grocery stores is also a major challenge for communities of color that reside in food deserts.