A report from the Federal Trade Commission that looks at the impact of marketing of food products to kids has found that food companies spend $1.6 billion annually on advertising to to children and teenagers. What’s more alarming is how the food industry continues to dodge the issue of offering good food by meeting criteria they want to meet. The NY Times reports:
Kellogg’s has reformulated several products, including the cold cereals Apple Jacks, Froot Loops and Corn Pops, so that they meet the company’s declared nutrition requirements for children, a Kellogg’s spokeswoman said.
And Burger King started offering a new Kids Meal, featuring macaroni and cheese, that meets its nutritional criteria. (Its children’s menu continues to feature a double hamburger, however, with 420 calories and 22 grams of fat.)
…Each company defined for itself what “better for you” meant. Kraft has decided its crackers have to have fewer than 100 calories and 290 milligrams of sodium in a serving, while ConAgra said its canned pasta had to have fewer than 350 calories and 750 milligrams of sodium.
The companies were also able to define for themselves what advertising directed at children meant. Coca-Cola and Cadbury Adams, for example, consider a commercial whose audience is composed 50 percent or more of children under 12 to be marketing to children. Mars’s definition is stricter: a children’s audience is one that is composed 25 percent or more of children under 12.
The bureau gave some examples of companies faltering. Campbell and Unilever, for example, had promised to advertise only better-for-you products to children. But both had neglected to remove products on Web sites aimed at children that did not meet their nutrition guidelines. Both companies have since fixed the problem, the bureau said.
Elaine D. Kolish, the director of the companies’ effort, said the different standards were reasonable.
“This is self-regulation to begin with and we think that this marketplace, competition-driven approach actually is really good for consumers and for children under 12,” she said. “This way, more companies can participate because they have some flexibility in setting the standards that takes into account what kind of foods they sell.”
Wriggle. Wriggle. Isn’t the competition-driven approach what got us into this mess in the first place?
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