Leveraging the Social World: A Recipe for Moving the Study of Children and Food Forward

Marketing scholars have long been interested in understanding and promoting healthier eating among children. In this article, we identify key themes reflected in marketing research exploring children, food, and healthy eating, focusing on papers published in the field’s leading journals over the past 30 years. We then discuss new opportunities to move the field forward by leveraging children’s sociality in both in-person and online spaces. We end by proposing a research agenda that is responsive to children’s changing social environments.