CHILDHOOD OBESITY December 2013 j Volume 9, Number 6 ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/chi.2013.9601
THE EXPERT WEIGHS IN
Childhood Obesity 2013.9:475-476. Downloaded from online.liebertpub.com by Boston University package on 06/28/16. For personal use only.
Food Companies are not Social Service Agencies An Interview with Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University
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r. Marion Nestle, one of the foremost voices calling for healthy food access in the United States today, discusses the marketing of kids’ food. Dr. Nestle explains that we cannot expect food companies to change marketing practices without regulation and why this is the crux of the problem. Is the marketing of ‘‘kid food’’ in the US acceptable at present? The marketing of ‘‘kids’ food’’—foods made and marketed specifically for kids—is never acceptable. Kids are perfectly capable of eating adult foods from the time they are weaned—in sizes and textures appropriate for their age, of course. Early childhood is a great time to expose kids to a wide variety of tastes and textures so they enjoy eating as many foods as possible. The purpose of kids’ food is to get kids hooked on branded foods with cartoons on the packages so that they pester their parents to buy them. Worse, they make kids think that packaged foods are what they are supposed to be eating, and that they know more about what they are supposed to eat than their parents do. This is so subversive of parental authority over feeding that it borders on the unethical. If we really want to address childhood obesity, marketing junk foods to kids has to stop. Much focus, including a recent call from the First Lady,1has been on changing marketing; but, conversely, does it make sense to make products for a particular audience and not market to them? It certainly does not make sense from a business perspective, and that is the crux of the problem. Kids’ foods are highly profitable. Food companies are in the business of generating profits for shareholders. That’s their job. From the viewpoint of food companies, if consumers want healthier foods, they should ask for them. After all, they are only giving the public what it wants.
This argument, of course, fails to consider the millions that they spend on marketing junk foods and sodas to kids. I think it is important to remember that food companies are not social service agencies. They are for-profit businesses. Even if they wanted to, companies cannot stop marketing on a voluntary basis. Shareholders always come first. Hence, the need for regulation. Do we actually need kids’ food at all? If yes, under what circumstances? I can’t think of a single reason why we need ‘‘kid’’ food. Dr. Katz’s editorial in the October issue of Childhood Obesity, that makes the case for eradicating kids’ food, was intended as something of a provocation and a reality check2; all species but our own teach their young what to eat for a lifetime. If we provide kids with ‘‘kid’’ food, aren’t we teaching them to eat such foods for a lifetime, too? If so, is that acceptable? Of course it is unacceptable. Marketing teaches kids that what they are supposed to eat comes in a box with a cartoon on it, and that parents are stupid for wanting them to eat foods that don’t come in packages with cartoons. Do you think anything could be achieved by a national day of boycott of the kid foods that prevail? It might bring attention to the issue, but it will take more than 1 day to make food companies understand that marketing junk food and sodas to kids has to stop. I have a long list of actions that might actually make a difference. Some have been tried and shown to work, to some extent. Others are still in the dreaming stage. Most require regulation, rather than voluntary efforts. As individuals, we can: maintain a junk-food–free home; limit kids’ access to junk food ads on electronic
475
Childhood Obesity 2013.9:475-476. Downloaded from online.liebertpub.com by Boston University package on 06/28/16. For personal use only.
476
media; teach kids how to grow food; and teach kids how to cook. As members of society, we can: make sure schools serve and promote healthy food; encourage schools to create gardens for growing food; help create safe areas where kids can play unsupervised; work to ban marketing of junk food to children in all media, by all methods; work to ban junk foods and junk food marketing from schools (and limit exceptions—birthdays, sports events, etc.—to no more than once a month). We can elect fearless leaders who will put public health above corporate health. While waiting for national government to pay attention to governing, we can start local. We can learn how to become effective advocates.
INTERVIEW
I can’t think of a better way to make sure today’s kids grow up to be healthy adults.
References 1. Superville D. First Lady urges marketing of healthy food to kids. Associated Press. September 18, 2013. Available at http://abcnews .go.com/Health/wireStory/lady-calls-summit-food-marketing-20288674 Last accessed September 30, 2013. 2. Katz DL. Feeding our kids, kidding ourselves. Child Obes 2013; 9:367–369.
—Jamie Devereaux, Features Editor
THE EXPERT WEIGHS IN
Childhood Obesity 2013.9:475-476. Downloaded from online.liebertpub.com by Boston University package on 06/28/16. For personal use only.
Food Companies are not Social Service Agencies An Interview with Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University
D
r. Marion Nestle, one of the foremost voices calling for healthy food access in the United States today, discusses the marketing of kids’ food. Dr. Nestle explains that we cannot expect food companies to change marketing practices without regulation and why this is the crux of the problem. Is the marketing of ‘‘kid food’’ in the US acceptable at present? The marketing of ‘‘kids’ food’’—foods made and marketed specifically for kids—is never acceptable. Kids are perfectly capable of eating adult foods from the time they are weaned—in sizes and textures appropriate for their age, of course. Early childhood is a great time to expose kids to a wide variety of tastes and textures so they enjoy eating as many foods as possible. The purpose of kids’ food is to get kids hooked on branded foods with cartoons on the packages so that they pester their parents to buy them. Worse, they make kids think that packaged foods are what they are supposed to be eating, and that they know more about what they are supposed to eat than their parents do. This is so subversive of parental authority over feeding that it borders on the unethical. If we really want to address childhood obesity, marketing junk foods to kids has to stop. Much focus, including a recent call from the First Lady,1has been on changing marketing; but, conversely, does it make sense to make products for a particular audience and not market to them? It certainly does not make sense from a business perspective, and that is the crux of the problem. Kids’ foods are highly profitable. Food companies are in the business of generating profits for shareholders. That’s their job. From the viewpoint of food companies, if consumers want healthier foods, they should ask for them. After all, they are only giving the public what it wants.
This argument, of course, fails to consider the millions that they spend on marketing junk foods and sodas to kids. I think it is important to remember that food companies are not social service agencies. They are for-profit businesses. Even if they wanted to, companies cannot stop marketing on a voluntary basis. Shareholders always come first. Hence, the need for regulation. Do we actually need kids’ food at all? If yes, under what circumstances? I can’t think of a single reason why we need ‘‘kid’’ food. Dr. Katz’s editorial in the October issue of Childhood Obesity, that makes the case for eradicating kids’ food, was intended as something of a provocation and a reality check2; all species but our own teach their young what to eat for a lifetime. If we provide kids with ‘‘kid’’ food, aren’t we teaching them to eat such foods for a lifetime, too? If so, is that acceptable? Of course it is unacceptable. Marketing teaches kids that what they are supposed to eat comes in a box with a cartoon on it, and that parents are stupid for wanting them to eat foods that don’t come in packages with cartoons. Do you think anything could be achieved by a national day of boycott of the kid foods that prevail? It might bring attention to the issue, but it will take more than 1 day to make food companies understand that marketing junk food and sodas to kids has to stop. I have a long list of actions that might actually make a difference. Some have been tried and shown to work, to some extent. Others are still in the dreaming stage. Most require regulation, rather than voluntary efforts. As individuals, we can: maintain a junk-food–free home; limit kids’ access to junk food ads on electronic
475
Childhood Obesity 2013.9:475-476. Downloaded from online.liebertpub.com by Boston University package on 06/28/16. For personal use only.
476
media; teach kids how to grow food; and teach kids how to cook. As members of society, we can: make sure schools serve and promote healthy food; encourage schools to create gardens for growing food; help create safe areas where kids can play unsupervised; work to ban marketing of junk food to children in all media, by all methods; work to ban junk foods and junk food marketing from schools (and limit exceptions—birthdays, sports events, etc.—to no more than once a month). We can elect fearless leaders who will put public health above corporate health. While waiting for national government to pay attention to governing, we can start local. We can learn how to become effective advocates.
INTERVIEW
I can’t think of a better way to make sure today’s kids grow up to be healthy adults.
References 1. Superville D. First Lady urges marketing of healthy food to kids. Associated Press. September 18, 2013. Available at http://abcnews .go.com/Health/wireStory/lady-calls-summit-food-marketing-20288674 Last accessed September 30, 2013. 2. Katz DL. Feeding our kids, kidding ourselves. Child Obes 2013; 9:367–369.
—Jamie Devereaux, Features Editor
