Chew on This: Food marketing makes kids fat

Guess how much money the largest food and beverage companies in the U.S. are spending in marketing their products to children between 2 and 17? $1.6 billion. Pushing sodas costs $492 million. Around $237 million goes on pushing cereals at children under 12. Restaurants spend nearly $294 million on promoting themselves, mainly to adolescents. And you thought the food industry was doing its best to lower childhood obesity rates?

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa was responsible for seeking the study. "Industry needs to step up to the plate and use their innovation and creativity to market healthy foods to our kids," Harkin said. "That $1.6 billion could be used to attract our kids to healthy snacks, tasty cereals, fruits and vegetables."

The Federal Trade Commission made 44 companies turn over confidential financial data so they could assess what they were spending and where to attract the young to their products. They found that themes promoted in tv ads were linked to packaging and store displays then on to the internet where a packaging code would give a child the chance to take part in games and competitions.

Hollywood is part of the promotion problem with some of their blockbuster films tied-in to food and drink products, along with meal promotions in fast food outlets. If exploiting children's (and their parents') gullibility is going to make money for the food industry, who cares if it makes children fat. The industry doesn't.