Difference between revisions of "Obesity PR"

From SourceWatch
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(add links and reorder)
(SW: add internal links)
 
(6 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
==Food Marketing to Kids==
 
==Food Marketing to Kids==
  
"With rising rates of childhood obesity and diabetes, you might think that when the federal government convenes a meeting on how food companies market food to kids, talk of how to regulate industry practices might actually be on the agenda. But you'd be wrong," wrote Michele Simon. [http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/23648/] In Mid-July 2005 a U.S. government conference on food marketing to kids was dominated by the companies themselves. "By conservative estimates, a full two-thirds of the panelists—hand-picked by the FTC and HHS—had financial ties to either the food or advertising industries. To add insult to injury, from the chairman of the FTC on down, nearly every government official who had the chance made clear that regulation of junk food ads aimed at children was not on the table and wouldn't be anytime soon. ... Only a handful of panel slots were allotted to public health or children's advocates. Even then, their voices were drowned out by the likes of PepsiCo and Kraft, who were each given two separate opportunities to speak, an honor not bestowed on anyone else."
+
"With rising rates of childhood obesity and diabetes, you might think that when the federal government convenes a meeting on how food companies market food to kids, talk of how to regulate industry practices might actually be on the agenda. But you'd be wrong," wrote Michele Simon. [http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/23648/] In Mid-July 2005 a U.S. government conference on food marketing to kids was dominated by the companies themselves. "By conservative estimates, a full two-thirds of the panelists—hand-picked by the [[FTC]] and [[Department of Health and Human Services|HHS]]—had financial ties to either the food or advertising industries. To add insult to injury, from the chairman of the FTC on down, nearly every government official who had the chance made clear that regulation of junk food ads aimed at children was not on the table and wouldn't be anytime soon. ... Only a handful of panel slots were allotted to public health or children's advocates. Even then, their voices were drowned out by the likes of [[PepsiCo]] and [[Kraft]], who were each given two separate opportunities to speak, an honor not bestowed on anyone else."
  
 
==Battle of the Childhood Bulge==
 
==Battle of the Childhood Bulge==
Line 7: Line 7:
 
"We can't any more argue whether food advertising is related to children's diets. It is," said Ellen Wartella, a co-author of the Institute of Medicine report reviewing "123 scientific research studies spanning 30 years on the effects of marketing food to children." The report concluded that "strong evidence" links TV ads to childhood obesity, and recommended that well-known cartoon characters not be used to sell "low-nutrient and high-calorie" foods, the ''Wall Street Journal'' reports. [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113387976454515095.html?mod=mm_hs_advertising]
 
"We can't any more argue whether food advertising is related to children's diets. It is," said Ellen Wartella, a co-author of the Institute of Medicine report reviewing "123 scientific research studies spanning 30 years on the effects of marketing food to children." The report concluded that "strong evidence" links TV ads to childhood obesity, and recommended that well-known cartoon characters not be used to sell "low-nutrient and high-calorie" foods, the ''Wall Street Journal'' reports. [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113387976454515095.html?mod=mm_hs_advertising]
  
Marketing to children is a $11 billion industry. The [[American Advertising Federation]] responded that companies are already "promoting healthier products and active lifestyles for children." Commercial Alert called on Congress to "expel junk food from public schools, require disclosure of product placement ... and eliminate the federal tax deduction for food advertising to children." The New York Times reports that Center for Science in the Public Interest, with "veterans of successful tobacco litigation," will file a lawsuit in Massachusetts to "ban sales of sugary beverages in schools." [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113387976454515095.html?mod=mm_hs_advertising]
+
Marketing to children is a $11 billion industry. The [[American Advertising Federation]] responded that companies are already "promoting healthier products and active lifestyles for children." [[Commercial Alert]] called on Congress to "expel junk food from public schools, require disclosure of product placement ... and eliminate the federal tax deduction for food advertising to children." The New York Times reports that [[Center for Science in the Public Interest]], with "veterans of successful tobacco litigation," will file a lawsuit in Massachusetts to "ban sales of sugary beverages in schools." [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113387976454515095.html?mod=mm_hs_advertising]
  
 
==Other SourceWatch resources==
 
==Other SourceWatch resources==
 
*[[American Council for Fitness and Nutrition]]
 
*[[American Council for Fitness and Nutrition]]
 +
*[[Food Advertising On Television in Australia]]
 
*[[American Dietetic Association]]
 
*[[American Dietetic Association]]
 
*[[Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness]]
 
*[[Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness]]
Line 17: Line 18:
 
*[[Coalition for a Healthy and Active America]]
 
*[[Coalition for a Healthy and Active America]]
 
*[[International Association for the Study of Obesity]]
 
*[[International Association for the Study of Obesity]]
*[International Obesity Task Force]]
+
*[[International Obesity Task Force]]
 
*[[Kraft]]
 
*[[Kraft]]
 +
*[[Media and Childhood Obesity: Today and Tomorrow]]
 
*[[McDonald's]]
 
*[[McDonald's]]
 
*[[Obesity APPG]]
 
*[[Obesity APPG]]
 
*[[Obesity Working Group]]
 
*[[Obesity Working Group]]
 +
*[[Personal responsibility]]
 
*[[Oldways Preservation Trust]]
 
*[[Oldways Preservation Trust]]
 
*[[Shaping America's Youth]]
 
*[[Shaping America's Youth]]
Line 40: Line 43:
 
*Michele Simon, "[http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/23648/ Government Abandons Children to Big Food]", ''AlterNet'', July 22, 2005.
 
*Michele Simon, "[http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/23648/ Government Abandons Children to Big Food]", ''AlterNet'', July 22, 2005.
 
*Sarah Ellison and Janet Adamy, "[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113387976454515095.html?mod=mm_hs_advertising  Panel Faults Food Packaging For Kid Obesity]", ''Wall Street Journal'', December 7, 2005; Page B1.
 
*Sarah Ellison and Janet Adamy, "[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113387976454515095.html?mod=mm_hs_advertising  Panel Faults Food Packaging For Kid Obesity]", ''Wall Street Journal'', December 7, 2005; Page B1.
[[Category:Health]][[Category:Marketing]]
+
*Julie Robotham, "[http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/ads-for-junk-food-likened-to-pushing-cigarettes/2006/09/05/1157222132672.html Ads for junk food likened to pushing cigarettes]", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', September 6, 2006.
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Health]][[Category:Marketing]][[Category:Obesity]]
 +
[[Category:Public relations]]

Latest revision as of 17:47, 17 August 2007

Food Marketing to Kids

"With rising rates of childhood obesity and diabetes, you might think that when the federal government convenes a meeting on how food companies market food to kids, talk of how to regulate industry practices might actually be on the agenda. But you'd be wrong," wrote Michele Simon. [1] In Mid-July 2005 a U.S. government conference on food marketing to kids was dominated by the companies themselves. "By conservative estimates, a full two-thirds of the panelists—hand-picked by the FTC and HHS—had financial ties to either the food or advertising industries. To add insult to injury, from the chairman of the FTC on down, nearly every government official who had the chance made clear that regulation of junk food ads aimed at children was not on the table and wouldn't be anytime soon. ... Only a handful of panel slots were allotted to public health or children's advocates. Even then, their voices were drowned out by the likes of PepsiCo and Kraft, who were each given two separate opportunities to speak, an honor not bestowed on anyone else."

Battle of the Childhood Bulge

"We can't any more argue whether food advertising is related to children's diets. It is," said Ellen Wartella, a co-author of the Institute of Medicine report reviewing "123 scientific research studies spanning 30 years on the effects of marketing food to children." The report concluded that "strong evidence" links TV ads to childhood obesity, and recommended that well-known cartoon characters not be used to sell "low-nutrient and high-calorie" foods, the Wall Street Journal reports. [2]

Marketing to children is a $11 billion industry. The American Advertising Federation responded that companies are already "promoting healthier products and active lifestyles for children." Commercial Alert called on Congress to "expel junk food from public schools, require disclosure of product placement ... and eliminate the federal tax deduction for food advertising to children." The New York Times reports that Center for Science in the Public Interest, with "veterans of successful tobacco litigation," will file a lawsuit in Massachusetts to "ban sales of sugary beverages in schools." [3]

Other SourceWatch resources

External links