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Consumers International, an independent organization that serves as the "global voice for consumers", has released a new report that examines how multi-national food and soft drink companies are using their web sites to get kids hooked on their unhealthy products. It was done as part of CI's "Junk Food Generation" campaign, which aims to stop the marketing of junk food to children.

The study, entitled "New Media, Same Old Tricks", looked at the international websites of the top 10 food and drink companies (determined by dollars spent on advertising). It found that companies such as McDonald's and KFC are using their own websites to market junk food by using site designs that appeals to children under the age of 12. According to the study:

Free screensavers and wallpaper attracts children to the sites and presumably once downloaded these branded
freebies are an ongoing reminder of the product or fast food chain. Games and competitions encourage children to stay on the websites and registration tempts children to hand over contact information for future marketing.

To learn more about the results of this Consumers International study, download it here.