I hope this helps the child obesity issues.

[wombat2u2004]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some of America's largest food and drink companies, such as Coca-Cola Co. and General Mills Inc., will adopt stricter controls on advertising aimed at children under 12, according to media reports on Wednesday.

Some companies have agreed to curb advertising ahead of a Federal Trade Commission hearing on Wednesday that is expected to exert pressure on food and drink makers for more responsible marketing plans as a means to help address childhood obesity problems, the New York Times and Associated Press reported.

The scope of the self-imposed marketing controls vary from company to company, according to the reports.

The U.S. division of McDonalds Corp., for example, said it will advertise only two types of "Happy Meal" to children under 12 -- one with chicken nuggets, apple dippers with caramel dip and low-fat milk, or one with a hamburger, apple dippers and milk, said AP. The meals meet the company's requirement of containing less than 600 calories, and derive no more than 35 percent of calories from fat, and have no more than 35 percent total sugar content.

General Mills will cut its advertising of Trix cereal for the under-12 age group, according to the New York Times, but will continue to run marketing geared towards children for another of its cereal brands, Cocoa Puffs, which has one less gram of sugar per serving.

PepsiCo, which owns Frito-Lay, Quaker Foods and such drinks as Pepsi and Gatorade, will only advertise two of its products to children -- Baked Cheetos Cheese Flavored Snacks and its Gatorade line of energy drinks, AP said.

Other companies adopting varied restrictions on advertising to the under-12s include the Campbell Soup Co., Hershey Co., Kraft Foods Inc., and Cadbury Adams, the maker of Bubblicious chewing gum, according to the reports.

[columbine]

There's also a lot of energy going into creating safe places for kids to play, so they can have some fun without getting recruited by criminals or hit by cars. Sports are fine for kids who can actually make the team, but people are starting to build more playgrounds for the kids who'd otherwise just end up playing video games.

Love, Columbine

[wombat2u2004]

There's also a lot of energy going into creating safe places for kids to play, so they can have some fun without getting recruited by criminals or hit by cars. Sports are fine for kids who can actually make the team, but people are starting to build more playgrounds for the kids who'd otherwise just end up playing video games.

Love, Columbine

Well, thats a very good idea. After all....those kids are the future.
Wom

[catnapper]

I guess Trix will have to come up with a new slogan... "Silly rabbit, Trix is for kids" just doesn't fit their new marketing plan. I was wondering why they changed their shape back to the way it was when I was a kid, instead of the fruit shape.

Childhood obesity is awful, but really, its the parents who BUY this stuff for their kids. Yes, I am well aware kids respond hugely to marketing. My nephew could barely say mommy and daddy when the Disney film Madagascar came out. Don't ya know that thanks to all the marketing on commercials (including things like Happy Meals) my nephew could say "Madagascar" perfectly? Ultimately, it comes down to the parent buying the food and putting it on their plate (or in their cereal bowls). Nobody wants to be a parent anymore. They want to be their child's friend.

[jackie]

I don't think it will make a difference unless parents make the changes in their children's life.

[finn's mom]

I think every little bit helps. Baby steps. It's going to take a lot more than that to stop the childhood obesity epidemic, obviously, but I don't see how it can hurt.

[Catty1]

It's a part of the solution, anyway. Short of a boycott of all the junk stuff.

And parents should be changing their own lifestyle habits...that's the best way to change a child's health.

I battled overweight all my life - my mom was healthy, but I followed in my dad's "foodsteps". It was a hard training to overcome...ironically, it was easier for longer after he died...though I would gladly have another 30 pounds if I could have my dad back.

He smartened up after a mild heart attack at 62.

[IRescue452]

Behavior is only part of obesity. Why don't people get this through their heads?

I have three obese mice, American brindles carrying the red gene. American mice average 40g at adulthood and these mice are 70g. Do you know why? Because all three carry the well-known gene for obesity. The obesity gene is carried with the red coat gene of mice. It can be controlled by breeding out the gene alltogether, but once a mouse carries it, it will be obese. The mice can run all day on a wheel and eat a limited diet, and still they are obese.

Scientists have isolated such obesity genes in mice and rats, but nobody will even look at that as an explanation for humans.

I see people who eat nothing but junk food and watch hours of tv that are thin. And people who eat fast food several times a week who are thin. And I also see people who exercise, who eat right, and do everything "right" and are fat.

There's more to it than a few grams of sugar.

If people are so obsessed about being thin and having thin children, we can test the embryos and selectively abort kids who are going to be fat. Trust me, scientists could determine that pretty darn accurately if it weren't a moral issue.

[Catty1]

I read a number of years ago that genetic factors in human obesity accounted for about 5% of the population. That can be a pretty significant number.

It seems that in the last several years, the rate of obesity is increasing. Can that be attributed purely to genetic reasons?

Junk food and fast food are unhealthy for slim people too. Slim does NOT mean healthy. Crappy food is crappy food.

When I started substituting the concept of 'healthy' as opposed to 'thin', the picture got bigger and life became a bit easier.

[IRescue452]

I don't see how obesity can be increasing when the average size keeps going down. Compare current times to centuries ago. Maybe there was a lull in obesity due to some outside factor and now its picking back up to normal. who knows?

[Lady's Human]

What happened to parents saying "no"?

Or paying attention to diets?

Oops, sorry, that would be asking people to be responsible for their own shortcomings, and then trial lawyers would be out of business.

[Marigold2]

I was at a bridal shower last year that was held outdoors on my friend's dairy farm. The bridesmaids were all fat and I do mean fat, over 200 pounds each. One girl had to be close to 300 pounds, she had a toddler with her. This child was playing with a beaded necklace and at one point she dropped it by my feet. I watched as she tried to pick it out but was to darn fat to do so.
A woman at the next table picked it up. It took ALL of my willpower to not go up to that fat 300 pound tub of lard mother and say " If you want to be a cow that is fine but making your three year old that fat is child abuse. I was so angry and was so disgusted. This poor kid. How can any mother do that?
Poor kid couldn't bend down. Oh it makes my blood boil now to think of it.
Parents have control over what their kids put into their mouths, and control over the amount of physical exercise they get. Take them swimming, to the park, camping, horseback riding, get a bike, jog, play baseball, football, soccer, basketball. Making your child obese is child abuse and those children need to be taken out of the homes or some form of therapy needs to be applied. The medical issues these kids face are horrible.

[wombat2u2004]

Yes, while I do believe that genetics are involved to an extent, I think the main reason for obesity is lifestyle.....a sign of the times perhaps.
Wom

[wombat2u2004]

that would be asking people to be responsible for their own shortcomings.

Thats a big call in this day and age mate.
Wom

[Roxyluvsme13]

I'm pretty sure my obesity issues are genetic. I can eat right, exercise, and continuously diet (healthily of course), and I don't lose a single pound..

Of course I also blame it on my mom for the continuous fast food in and out of our door.

Anyways.. maybe these kids won't have to grow up with the torture and torment from others and can be healthy..