Thursday, February 9th, 2012
A government study released Tuesday says the entertainment industry endangers the health of American kids because its characters are used to market unhealthy food products to them. The report performed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and funded by the Centers for Disease Control found that “the prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children and youth in America represents, at best, a missed opportunity, and at worst, a direct threat to the health prospects of the next generation.” The report claims to offer the most comprehensive review to date of the scientific evidence on the influence of food marketing on diets of children and youth. Read the PDF Summary The report found that companies spent an estimated $10 billion to market foods, beverages and meals to American kids last year. Four of the top 10 items that children age 8-12 say they can buy without parental permission are either foods or beverages, the report indicated. The release of this study is interesting in that is brings up parrallel issues to the WGA/SAG product placement affair. All parties involved are seeking to have the government intervene in how productions are handled, which can NEVER be a good thing. In the case of Junk Food in film – it’s amazing what a couple of healthy characters on TV and in film can do for the good of society. What’s really amazing is that all these hot looking TV characters always seem to eat junk food — would really love to see a character insist on going for Sushi instead of McDonalds!
