July 18, 2007
Contact: Josh Golin (617.278.4172;
jgolin@jbcc.harvard.edu)
For Immediate Release
CCFC Statement on Major Food Company
Marketing Pledges;
Latest Indication Self-Regulation has
Failed
BOSTON - The food industry’s current
attempt to stave off regulation is a tribute to the hard work
of advocacy groups, parents, and a handful of brave
politicians who are fed up with the barrage of junk food
marketing aimed at children. The changes announced to day
result directly from threats of legislation and litigation.
CCFC will continue to work with legislators, parents and
advocates for government regulation of food marketing to
children.
CCFC is pleased that the food industry is
finally acknowledging the links between food marketing and the
childhood obesity epidemic and that their most unhealthy
products should not be marketed to children. That many are
restricting the use of licensed characters to promote junk
food will provide some relief to parents and children caught
in a maelstrom of corporate marketing. However, while the
pledges are great PR for food companies, taken has a whole
they are unworkable and unenforceable and are yet another
indication that self-regulation has failed.
Some of our concerns include:
-
Each company has
created different nutrition standards tailored specifically
to their products.
-
Each company has
adopted different marketing standards as well.
-
Because each
company’s standards are different it is going to be
extremely difficult to track adherence.
-
There is no
mechanism for enforcement
-
Companies such
as Coca-Cola will continue to reach millions of children
ages 2 to 11 on programs such as American Idol.
-
Because these
policies are voluntary the companies can tweak them or drop
them all together with no consequences if corporate profits
are significantly compromised.
-
While some
companies will not be marketing in elementary schools, some,
like McDonald’s will continue to insinuate their brands in
classrooms under the guise of promoting healthy life styles.
We need a uniform set of enforceable
standards that prohibit marketing unhealthy food to children.
It is clearer than ever that the food industry is unwilling or
unable to industry of adopting such standards. It’s the role
of government, not corporations bound by law to maximize
profits, to safeguard public health.
