From Joe Camel to Tony the Tiger: How Big Tobacco Still Markets to Kids—and What We Can Do About It
“Joe Camel was pulled off the shelves for targeting kids with a cartoon. But Tony the Tiger? Still smiling. Still selling.”
When the public learned how Big Tobacco marketed deadly products to kids using cartoons and candy flavors, there was an uproar. Lawsuits followed. Mascots like Joe Camel disappeared. But the playbook didn’t.
Instead, it got a makeover—and now it’s used to sell ultra-processed foods (UPFs) that are quietly hijacking our children's health.
They’re Not Just Snacks. They’re Strategies.
Bright boxes. Cartoon mascots. Free toys. TikTok jingles. These aren't innocent marketing tactics—they're precision-targeted tools used by the ultra-processed food industry to create lifelong customers out of kids.
Sound familiar?
It should. Tobacco companies once used the same strategies to make smoking “cool.” And now, many of those same companies are behind the brands dominating the middle aisles of your grocery store. For example, Philip Morris (once the largest cigarette manufacturer in the U.S.) acquired Kraft in the 1980s, producing everything from Oreos to Capri Sun before restructuring under Altria and Mondelez.
Today, 68% of the U.S. food supply is ultra-processed—loaded with refined sugars, artificial fats, salt, and additives designed to hijack your brain’s reward system, just like nicotine once did (U.S. Right to Know, 2024).
Why Kids Are the Prime Target (Again)
Children are especially vulnerable to this kind of manipulation:
Their brains are still developing
They form brand loyalties early
They influence what ends up in the shopping cart
Studies show children are exposed to an average of 10 food-related ads per day, with over 90% advertising ultra-processed products (WHO, 2022).
In the 1990s, public outrage got Joe Camel banned. But today, Tony the Tiger still smiles from cereal boxes. Chester Cheetah still guards the chip aisle. Only now, the targeting has gone digital—with in-game ads, influencer videos, and social media filters embedding brands into children's lives before they can even spell “nutrition.”
The Power We Hold as Parents and Consumers
Here’s the good news: we’re not powerless. In fact, we’re the most powerful force in this system.
Every time we choose what to buy—or what not to buy—we send a message to the market.
Here’s what you can do:
Read beyond the packaging. Flip boxes over. Look for ultra-processed ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and flavor enhancers.
Buy less from the middle aisles. Whole foods—produce, grains, dairy, meats—aren’t advertised for a reason. They can’t be patented or branded the way UPFs can.
Support small and transparent brands. Consumer pressure helped remove trans fats from food. Now it’s doing the same for artificial dyes and preservatives.
Teach Your Kids to Spot the Tricks
Just like we taught kids to say “no” to cigarettes, we can teach them to say “wait, why does this cartoon tiger want me to eat more sugar?”
Education doesn’t mean scaring them—it means empowering them. Here are simple ways to do that at home:
Play “ad detective.” Watch a few food commercials and ask: Who is this trying to reach? What makes it catchy?
Do label scavenger hunts. Find the snack with the most ingredients. What do you recognize? What’s confusing?
Involve them in prep. Let kids help pack lunches and choose snacks. Ownership leads to curiosity and healthier choices.
And most importantly: model mindful eating. When kids see you pause, read, and choose with care, it becomes their default too.
It Starts at Home
We fought hard to get Joe Camel out of our children’s faces. We can do the same with ultra-processed foods—but only if we recognize the strategy and reclaim our power as both parents and consumers.
Let’s raise a generation that knows how to see through a mascot—and demand better.
“In our house, we feed our brains and our bodies—not a brand.”
References & Resources
U.S. Right to Know. Ultra-processed foods are addictive and harm health, scientists say, 2024.
Monteiro, C.A. et al. “Ultra-processed products are becoming dominant in the global food system.” Obesity Reviews, 2021.
World Health Organization. Marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children, 2022.
Harris, J.L., et al. “Fast Food FACTS 2021.” Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, University of Connecticut.
