October 2, 2009
The Center for Disease Control says 13 percent of the nation’s children are obese and the numbers of overweight children are increasing every year. In light of this epidemic, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is conducting a new study about how food is marketed to children and is asking for your help.
The FTC is seeking public comment as part of an effort to gather more information about 45 food, beverage and fast food restaurants and how they market to children, provide nutritional information and how much money they spend to target young children and adolescents.
Tracy Taylor, executive director of the Natural Products Foundation, said one of the major criticisms regarding food marketing has been that unhealthful or nutritionally-deficient foods were made more attractive to children and adolescents through advertising. As a result, kids were choosing a food of minimal nutritional value marketed alongside a popular cartoon character versus a less glamorous choice, like a fresh fruit or vegetable.
“Because the natural sector has always been concerned with getting foods to market that not only taste good but are good for you, we’re already way ahead of the curve in this regard,” Taylor said. “In fact, the FTC has recommended that media and entertainment companies limit their licensing and advertising to products that actually promote health. This is a trend that will continue and hopefully offer more opportunities for natural category foods and beverages to find their way into more homes and lunch boxes.”
The FTC will use public input to provide a comparison to information from a 2006 study the commission published last year. The new study is designed to help the FTC gauge how the industry has regulated itself since 2006, said FTC spokeswoman Betsy Lordan.