Dec. 07, 2005

Study: junk food 'threat' aimed at kids
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113387976454515095.html?mod=mm_hs_advertising

The Hollywood Reporter
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id= 1001615590

Get the study here

By Brooks Boliek
WASHINGTON -- A government study released Tuesday says the entertainment industry endangers the health of American kids because its characters are used to market unhealthy food products to them.

The report performed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and funded by the Centers for Disease Control found that "the prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children and youth in America represents, at best, a missed opportunity, and at worst, a direct threat to the health prospects of the next generation."

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who secured the $1 million funding for the report, said the findings shouldn't come as a shock as he accused high-profile Hollywood characters of turning children into junk-food addicts.

"This report proves that the onslaught of junk food marketing is endangering the health of our children," he said. "We would like to think that SpongeBob SquarePants, Shrek and the Disney princesses are likable, kid-friendly characters, but they are being used to manipulate vulnerable children to make unhealthy choices. This must stop."

The report claims to offer the most comprehensive review to date of the scientific evidence on the influence of food marketing on diets of children and youth.

Because dietary preferences and eating patterns form early in life and set the stage for an individual's long-term health prospects, significant changes are needed to reshape children's awareness of healthy dietary choices, the report indicated.

While the report notes that many factors shape children's eating habits, it calls on the government to enhance nutritional standards, incentives and public policies promoting the marketing of healthier foods and drinks.

It also calls on schools, parents and the media to work with government and industry to pursue initiatives that support healthful diets for children and youth.

If those voluntary efforts fail to bear fruit by shifting TV advertising away from junk food, then Congress should enact legislation to mandate this change on broadcast and cable television.

The report found that companies spent an estimated $10 billion to market foods, beverages and meals to American kids last year. Four of the top 10 items that children age 8-12 say they can buy without parental permission are either foods or beverages, the report indicated.

"Current food and beverage marketing practices put kids' long-term health at risk," said committee chair J. Michael McGinnis, senior scholar at the Institute of Medicine. "If America's children and youth are to develop eating habits that help them avoid early onset of diet-related chronic diseases, they have to reduce their intake of high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks, fast foods and sweetened drinks, which make up a high proportion of the products marketed to kids."

While the study sought to pressure the media, food manufacturers and restaurants to push healthy grub, food industry-backed groups dismissed the study saying "it failed to find a causal link between television advertisements and childhood obesity."

"It's the height of chutzpah to call for sweeping federal regulations on marketing without having evidence to prove that advertisements cause childhood obesity," Center for Consumer Freedom analyst Justin Wilson said. "This is just another feel good solution that won't make any difference."

The study failed to address whether a lack of physical activity played a role in increasing childhood obesity rates, he said.

"While the IOM clamors for federal restrictions on advertising to children, the true culprit for childhood obesity -- physical inactivity -- is completely ignored," Wilson said. "According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than a third of young people in grades 9-12 do not regularly engage in vigorous physical activity. If we are serious about fighting obesity among our children, we need to get them seriously active."

For more info and to get involved, check out the Organic Consumers Association's "Appetite for a Change" (Children's Health) campaign