It's time to stop marketing junk food to kids

(cross post from the NPA Blog)

I’m often faced with parents who want to know what do do with their kids who are overweight. There are a lot of causes of obesity, but the major causes are soda and junk food. The increase in consumption is due to the food industry’s aggressive marketing of junk food to kids.

In 2009, the fast-food industry spent $4.9 billion on marketing. How are parents supposed to fight with an industry that is telling kids to eat more junk food at school, while watching tv, and while on the internet? It’s time to make parenting easier. It’s time for the food industry to stop marketing to kids.

A bi-partisan bill in Congress asked a group of government organizations to come up with VOLUNTARY standards for the food industry on what products it’s ok to market to kids. They came up with very good guidelines. But, they are under big pressure from big food to be weakened, even though they are VOLUNTARY. The government group (the Interagency Work Group- IWG) needs to hear from you on why these standards are really important. They will provide a blueprint on where we should start in stopping marketing junk food to kids.

Please click here to add your comments. Parents around the country will thank you.