Snack food makers go healthy
I hardly consider a 100 calorie snack pack of Doritos healthy, and I certainly don’t think kids should be drinking any kind of soda regularly, low calorie or not, but at least this is a step in the right direction. Snack Food Makers Go Healthy to Avoid Regulations, Lawsuits.
Kellogg Co., maker of Pop-Tarts and Cheez-It crackers, said last week it will restrict use of licensed characters such as Shrek in its advertising, and either reduce the amount of calories, fat, sugar and sodium in products or stop marketing them to children under age 12 by the end of next year…
…The FTC in coming months also is expected to survey 44 food and drink companies about their spending and methods used in advertising to children. The survey could provide more fodder for critics.
“They’re trying to take enough steps so Congress won’t pass laws and they won’t get sued,” said Margo Wootan, Nutrition Policy Director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that focuses on nutrition and food safety has used the threat of litigation to get some food and drink makers to stop using misleading ads and labels, remove soft drinks from schools and eliminate trans-fats…
…Regulators are focused on children, in part because they are particularly susceptible to marketing and are showing a marked rise in obesity, Wootan said.
Among American children between the ages of 6 and 11, 19 percent are overweight, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and studies show overweight children are more likely to be obese as adults. The center reported that as of 2004, 66.3 percent of adults over the age of 20 in the U.S. were overweight or obese.
Again, it’s great that they’re trying and I appreciate that McDonalds really does listen to consumers and is now marketing Happy Meals that come with apple slices and water. But still, take away the apple and you’re still left with a box of chicken nuggets.
My StumbleUpon Page
June 21st, 2007 at 10:54 pm
I wish they’d go after the makers of the supposed “healthy” snacks. GRRRR… Have you looked at the ingredients of most granola bars? It’s total BS with all the sugars and crep loaded in them - there’s hardly any fiber or protein! Might as well give your kid a candy bar. Sorry, my pet peeve. It’s why I swear by Kashi Granola bars, they have a good balance of fiber and protein. Bah. Anyway……..
June 27th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Yeah, it’s pretty ridiculous what’s referred to as healthy these days- my pet peeve is the supposedly “healthy” beverages, like Vitamin Waters, or certain juices. In actuality, they’re completely loaded with sugar- you could eat an entire jelly donut for the amount of sugar and calories that you drink in one Vitamin Water!