37 pages., ERS staff report - No. AGEX831007. Also available online from Hathi Trust Digital Library., via library catalog., Food manufacturers spent $7 billion in advertising in 1997. Most of
this advertising focused on highly processed and highly packaged
foodswhich also tend to be the foods consumed in large quantities
in the United States relative to Federal dietary recommendations
such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Advertising expenditures on meat, fruits, and vegetables are negligible. In contrast, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture spent $333.3 million on nutrition
education, evaluation, and demonstrations. This is approximately
what the food industry spent on advertising just for coffee, tea, and
cocoa, or for snacks and nuts; slightly more than half (60 percent)
the amount spent on advertising for carbonated soft drinks, and less
than half the amount spent promoting beer, or candy and gum, or
breakfast cereals.
