A recent study by Purdue University scientists has purportedly concluded that the amounts of artificial food colors found in many popular U.S. foods are much higher than previously thought, and children—the target market for the most heavily dyed foods—could be consuming 100 to 200 mg of artificial color in a day, well over the 30 mg that has allegedly been shown to contribute to behavioral disorders such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Although manufacturers are required to disclose whether a food contains artificial coloring, the law does not require that they disclose how much of each color is used, and, according to the study, the amounts of artificial coloring in foods has increased more than five-fold since 1950. “In the 1970s and 1980s, many studies were conducted giving children 26 mg of a mixture of dyes,” said study author Laura Stevens. “Only a few children seemed to react to the…
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As the World Health Assembly opened its 67th session in Geneva, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan reportedly expressed her deep concern about the increasing incidence worldwide in childhood obesity, stating, “Our children are getting fatter.” Chan announced the formation of a high-level Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. Chaired by Peter Gluckman, the chief science advisor to New Zealand’s prime minister, the commission will produce a consensus report detailing measures that would be most effective in addressing the issue in different countries around the world. Its recommendations will be announced during the 2015 World Health Assembly. Two international membership bodies called on governments convening in Geneva to develop a global convention to address obesity, similar to the legal framework for tobacco control. The World Obesity Federation and Consumers International (CI) have launched their campaign by calling for controls on food marketing, improvements to nutrition information labels, the reformulation of…
U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have introduced a bill that would end a tax subsidy for the marketing of food and beverages of poor nutritional quality to children. The “Stop Subsidizing Childhood Obesity Act” would also shift the money saved from eliminating the tax credit to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides fruit and vegetable snacks to elementary school students in low-income schools. Under the current tax code, companies can deduct marketing and advertising expenses from their income taxes. “Our nation is facing a childhood obesity crisis that demands our urgent attention, and one effective way of combating this epidemic is to ensure that our children are not confronted by persistent advertising from soda, snack, and candy makers,” said Harkin. “Given the enormous public health costs associated with childhood obesity, our bill promotes healthier lifestyles.” Sen. Blumenthal said, “This measure makes…
A recent study has claimed that children consume more artificial food colors (AFCs) than previously thought, raising concerns about potential health effects not addressed by federal guidelines. Laura Stevens, et al., “Amounts of Artificial Food Dyes and Added Sugars in Foods and Sweets Commonly Consumed by Children,” Clinical Pediatrics, April 2014. In addition to reporting the AFC content of individual brand-name foods and beverages, Purdue University researchers ultimately calculated that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certified 62 mg of AFCs per capita per day in 2010, up from 12 mg per capita per day in 1950. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), these levels of AFC consumption “are higher than the levels demonstrated in some clinical trials to impair some children’s behavior.” “In the 1970s and 1980s, many studies were conducted giving children 26 mg of a mixture of dyes,” one study author was…
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has dismissed a complaint alleging that a cereal advertisement shown at the beginning of a “U-rated” film “condoned or encouraged poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle in children” and “disparaged good dietary practice.” Although Kellogg Marketing and Sales Company (UK) Ltd. included on-screen text stating the sugar content of the product and emphasizing the importance of a varied diet and lifestyle, ASA argued that the Coco Pops Rocks ad in question, which featured brand equity characters and aired before a movie, would appeal to children, “who would not have the reading comprehension skills or relevant knowledge to be able to interpret and understand the information about the sugar content of the product and that it should be eaten as part of a varied diet and active lifestyle.” “We also considered that, in the context of the exciting action in the visuals of the ad,…
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and Corporate Accountability International (CAI) published an April 25, 2014, letter to U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA) School Programs Branch Chief Julie Brewer, criticizing a proposed rule that would require schools “to implement policies for the marketing of foods and beverages on the school campus during the school day consistent with nutrition standards for Smart Snacks.” According to the letter, the proposal not only gives a “green light” to food marketing in schools, but “opens the floodgates for many other types of marketing in schools.” Claiming that “the commercialization of childhood is linked to a host of problems facing children today that extend well beyond the consumption of unhealthy foods,” CCFC and CAI have asked USDA to acknowledge that “commercial-free school environments are preferable to those that allow marketing.” The letter also takes issue with the agency’s “Smart Snacks” program, alleging that the nutrition…
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint claiming that alcohol ads were shown during YouTube videos intended for children. According to the agency, a series of children’s nursery rhyme videos featured advertisements for liquors sold by Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC (Morrisons) even though both the company and YouTube took action “to prevent alcohol content from being served during content that was family-friendly.” Despite these precautions and YouTube’s warning that users should not access accounts “that declared they were over 18 years of age if they were watching YouTube with a minor,” ASA ruled that the ads in question violated CAP Code rules governing social responsibility, children and alcohol. “The ASA noted that both Morrisons and YouTube had processes in place that were intended to ensure that ads for alcohol were not directed at those under 18 years of age,” it explained. “However, we considered that the YouTube video…
Researchers with Cornell University and the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity have reportedly found that eye contact with cereal box spokes-characters “increased feelings of trust and connection to the brand, as well as choice of the brand over competitors.” Aviva Musicus, et al., “Eyes in the Aisles: Why is Cap’n Crunch Looking Down at My Child?,” Environment and Behavior, 2014. After analyzing 65 cereals in 10 grocery stores, the study’s authors claimed that cereals marketed to children were generally placed on the bottom two shelves and displayed characters featuring “a downward gaze at an angle of 9.67 degrees,” while those marketed to adults were generally placed on the top two shelves and displayed characters featuring a slightly upward gaze at an angle of 0.43 degrees. In addition, the study reported that participants asked to evaluate sample cereal boxes were more likely to choose one brand over another…
A study examining the link between parental body mass index (BMI) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has reportedly claimed that paternal obesity “is an independent risk factor for ASDs in children.” Pal Suren, et al., “Parental Obesity and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders,” Pediatrics, April 2014. Noting that previous research focused only on the role of maternal pre-pregnancy obesity in neurodevelopmental disorders, the study’s authors relied on data from 92,909 children enrolled in the Norwegian Mother and Child Study to estimate the relative risk of ASDs using logistic regression models. The results evidently showed that “maternal obesity (BMI ≥30) was only weakly associated with ASD risk, whereas paternal obesity was associated with an increased risk of autistic disorder and Asperger disorder.” In particular, the study reported that (i) the risk of autistic disorder was 0.27 percent in children of obese fathers and 0.14 percent in children of normal-weight fathers, and…
A recent analysis conducted by University of Liverpool researchers and commissioned by the campaign group Action on Junk Food Marketing has suggested that children in the United Kingdom are “bombarded” with as many as 11 junk-food advertisements during one hour of prime-time, family-oriented TV. Noting that almost one out of four TV ads shown between 8 and 9 p.m. promote unhealthy supermarket products, fast food, candy, and chocolate, the advocacy group, which includes the Children’s Food Campaign and British Heart Foundation, also observed that one-third of the ads conclude by showing a website or a Twitter hashtag—a reportedly popular way of targeting teenagers. Campaigners have asked the government to ban junk-food ads until after 9 p.m. and establish rules to prohibit Internet marketing. See BBC.com, March 20, 2014.
