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PRODUCT PLUNDERS OF THE WEEK:
JUNK FOOD INDUSTRY APPLAUDES ITSELF FOR YEARS OF
"ETHICAL" ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN
Responding to public pressure, junk food companies have formed
a task force that they claim will address the childhood obesity epidemic.
The group, which includes companies like Coca-Cola, McDonalds,
and Kraft Foods, held its first meeting at the end of March. One of the
first items on the agenda was how to greenwash the routine industry
practice of advertising junk foods to young children. Advertisers spend
more than $10 billion annually on manipulating the minds of children.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, children under the age
of six cannot distinguish between program content and advertising.
Despite this rather undisputed fact, one of the panel's experts, the
chief government affairs officer of the Grocery Manufacturers
Association, applauded the junk food industry's track record and offered
kudos to the current practice of self-regulation saying, "For more than
three decades, the self-regulatory guidelines of the Children's
Advertising Review Unit have helped to ensure that advertising to
children by food companies is age and nutritionally appropriate, and
reflects a balanced approach to health and nutrition." According to
task force members, it is hoped that future meetings can be as
productive, although the meeting concluded with no real changes
to the status quo practices of advertising junk foods to children.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4680.cfm
JUNK FOOD INDUSTRY APPLAUDES ITSELF FOR YEARS OF
"ETHICAL" ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN
Responding to public pressure, junk food companies have formed
a task force that they claim will address the childhood obesity epidemic.
The group, which includes companies like Coca-Cola, McDonalds,
and Kraft Foods, held its first meeting at the end of March. One of the
first items on the agenda was how to greenwash the routine industry
practice of advertising junk foods to young children. Advertisers spend
more than $10 billion annually on manipulating the minds of children.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, children under the age
of six cannot distinguish between program content and advertising.
Despite this rather undisputed fact, one of the panel's experts, the
chief government affairs officer of the Grocery Manufacturers
Association, applauded the junk food industry's track record and offered
kudos to the current practice of self-regulation saying, "For more than
three decades, the self-regulatory guidelines of the Children's
Advertising Review Unit have helped to ensure that advertising to
children by food companies is age and nutritionally appropriate, and
reflects a balanced approach to health and nutrition." According to
task force members, it is hoped that future meetings can be as
productive, although the meeting concluded with no real changes
to the status quo practices of advertising junk foods to children.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4680.cfm