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Feds Gently Prod Food Marketers to Help Fight Childhood Obesity |
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By Truman Lewis May 2, 2006
But top government agencies aren't pushing the panic button. Instead, they've held a workshop and released a report. The report released today by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlines "concrete steps" the food industry can take to make progress against childhood obesity. Both agencies said they will "monitor closely" food companies' response. Consumer groups didn't disagree. "Currently, virtually any food, no matter how nutritionally bankrupt, can be marketed to virtually any child, no matter how young," said Margo G. Wootan, Nutrition Policy Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit nutrition advocacy group. "Parents are fed up with their authority being subverted by junk-food marketers. The industry's self-regulation system in this area has clearly failed," she said. Wootan said the FTC/HHS report made "welcome recommendations." "Importantly, the agencies recommend that food companies and the industry-funded Children's Advertising Review Unit, or CARU, set baseline nutrition standards for foods that can be marketed to children through television, schools, and via cartoon characters on food packages," she said. The report also included these recommendations for food companies:
In focusing on racial and ethnic populations in which childhood obesity is more prevalent, the agencies recommended that:
The report noted that the current CARU Guides are a good foundation for industry self-regulation, but the agencies recommended that the Guides be expanded and their enforcement enhanced. Specific agency recommendations to be enacted right away included:
The report is a product of last summer's joint FTC/HHS workshop, which provided a forum for industry, consumer, academic, and government stakeholders to examine the role of the private sector in addressing rising childhood obesity rates in the United States. "Workshop participants acknowledged that many factors contribute to childhood obesity, but recognized that regardless of the causes, responsible marketing can play a positive role in improving children's diets and exercise behavior," the FTC said in a press release. "Responsible, industry-generated action and effective self-regulation are critical to addressing the national problem of childhood obesity," said FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras. "The FTC plans to monitor industry efforts closely, and we expect to see real improvements." "Businesses need to work with mothers, fathers and children to bring America's epidemic of childhood overweight under control," said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. "Families can help children to be physically active and to eat right, and business can encourage children to eat nutritious foods in proper portions." The workshop focused on the role that the private sector, including food, media, and entertainment companies, can and should play to address the increasing problem of childhood obesity in the United States. Food companies presented their product, packaging, labeling, advertising, and marketing initiatives designed to promote lower calorie, more nutritious foods. Media and entertainment companies discussed their incorporation of health and nutrition messages into programming and their support for public education campaigns featuring these messages. Workshop participants provided their views on the advertising guidelines that are enforced by the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB). Participants offered both praise and criticism of existing industry practices and self-regulatory efforts. Some also offered suggestions for ways that industry can build on current efforts and take new steps to tackle the childhood obesity problem. The report summarizes the presentations, panel discussions, and oral statements made at the workshop and the written comments submitted. It also provides specific recommendations for action by the food industry, the media and entertainment industry, and CARU. Report Your Experience
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