Walt Disney and Nickelodeon

[umpa]

Last week, Walt Disney Company announced they will phase out the advertising of junk food on its child-directed television channels, web sites and radio stations and will update their nutrition standards. It's time for Nickelodeon to stop advertising junk food to kids, too.



Nickelodeon produces many wonderful programs that both entertain and educate children. However, the commercials featured during those programs advertise foods that contain unhealthy levels of fat and sugar.



According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years and the percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. The children in that age demographic are precisely who are being targeted with these ads.



Food and beverage advertisers are spending between $10 and $15 billion dollars a year advertising to our children. They do this because it works: the more junk food is marketed to children, the more junk food children eat.



I applaud Nickelodeon for already taking steps in the right direction by making sure that their characters are not promoting unhealthy foods. Yet, they can do more.


The market is changing and parents are becoming increasingly more aware of what they are feeding their children. As a result, what is good for our children can also be good for Nickelodeon’s bottom line. 


The health and wellbeing of our nation’s children is at risk. Please, Nickelodeon, ban these harmful advertisements and strengthen your nutritional standards.

http://www.change.org/petitions/nickelodeon-support-kids-not-junk-food-ads?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=drJqRIFDbw&alert_id=drJqRIFDbw_sTFaihSwwj

[morgan]

As with the fts program - perhaps they should provide substitutes. 

Kids like junk food and you will not be able to stop all children everywhere from eating it.  If your  peers are eating it you will eat it as well:  but if the makers of junk food provide alternatives (and not alternatives that look healthy - supposedly fat-free low fat burgers loaded with cereal filler on a sweet bun) but say small meatballs (made of actual meat - no filler) on a stick (example only as I don't think they are going to go as far as making a bun with no sugar).  Chicken nuggets dipped in egg white and fried making it a bit "puffy".

Realistic alternatives would go a long way.  If their resources (scientists/chefs-those that formulate the meals) can 'invent' foods that are sold now, surely they can 'invent' alternatives that with the right advertising will appeal to children. 

You will never get rid of fast food, there are just some people who will never be able to put an actual meal together regardless of how many cookbooks or tv cooking shows they read/watch. 

It's all in the sales pitch after all isn't it.

[mouseissue]

You're so right, Morgan!

I believe the big hurtle is that those companies that make low carb alternatives, by and large, don't have the advertising budgets of the junk food pushers.

As the truth about carbs becomes more well known, and the demand for low carb items grows, we can pray that some of those larger companies will start pushing low carb alternatives for our kids (and for us too)!

[suzanneT]

That is AWESOME! So glad to hear it. The amount of advertising for junk and fast foods directed toward our children is unreal. I do like what Hidden Valley Ranch has done though. It got my nine and six year olds thinking about broccoli and cauliflower as snack foods. 

[umpa]

I still believe the only solution is educating the kids.Peer pressure is huge and no kid wants to be the fat kid.If its a choice between french fries and fitting in I think they will choose fitting in

[morgan]

You would think that would be true.  But we are a lazy bunch and french fries easier to obtain.
Fitting in is a whole other problem.  Looking as though you do easier. 

You are right - the key is education;  but education has changed so much.  They seem to emphasise the least important things. Back in the day  when I was a child, we used to do PE (physical education) almost on a daily basis.  We had a subject called 'health' where food and exercise were discussed.  Though those ideals are certainly dated by todays standards, Health should be reintroduced as a subject. 
Controversy will surround it, of course, as no-one will agree as to what is the best way to go. 

Unfortunately, I think they will continue to spout the same low-fat, pyramid style of eating.  Dietitians are still on board that boat.

I think that you and doug and the fts style of eating are doing a really good thing by donating books, this can only help.   More and more studies are proving that sugar is really really bad for you and teaching our children early is the key:  but it is hard when the rest of the world  is scoffing down fast food and sweet treats (not your recipes though Umpa ). 

[umpa]

I refuse to give up When i was in school we had the same classes but we also were always outside playing.Kids nowadays never leave the house! Its always a pleasure working with the kids though.I love it when the light turns on! They are so smart and once they get it they got it! Adults are a little harder because they have preconceived notions ,kids don't. They are like playdough!

[suzanneT]

They have taken Recess away from our Florida kids. I don't know about the rest of you... but that is when I got the most excercise. They are so busy trying to teach a test that they are forgetting that children are (as  you so well said) playdough and need to be formed into the people they will become. Everything they serve them in the cafeteria is overprocessed or prepackaged... the kids try to improve the taste with tons of ketsup... and we know what that stuff is made of. But they also learn from example. My nine year old has always been "soft" and just recently started putting on a little extra weight, But she sees ME and hears me talking about all of you and it motivates her to want to be a FTS kid. So next year we will be packing her lunch.  Also, at my house they have to be "unplugged" every day from three until six. This is time to do homework, read, or play outside. Since we started it last year, it has really gotten my kids moving.

[Andrea]

Bravo, Suzanne!  Congratulations on not taking the easy way out with your kids and for being such a good example to them.

[umpa]

Suzanne I applaud you for unplugging and taking control Children are poor ,they have no money.Its up to us as parents to bring the correct food in the house and educate them. If you teach her she will make better food choices when she is away from you too.Kids have enough friends they need parents.Good Job

[Andrea]

New quote of the day:  "Kids have enough friends, they need parents."

[mouseissue]

Well said, Umpa!

[umpa]

My mom and dad taught me well