Kellogg has agreed to stop marketing its sugar cereals to children unless they improve the cereals' nutrition. While this is a laudable move, I suppose, the company only acted when faced with a lawsuit from parents and advocacy groups concerned about childhood obesity.
Is this right? Should Tucan Sam be blamed for fat kids?
I tend to believe the free market and good parenting can coexist. Now, I've never had to endure a child's insistant whining about why he only eats healthy breakfasts and why he can't have Fruity Pebbles on occassion. I ate Apple Jacks for most of my childhood after mom caved in on her sporadic no-sugar policy. And I imagine it's hard to compete with advertising from these food companies that bombard kids during every TV show they watch.
But suing these companies for putting out a product is bullshit. They have a right to sell a product and a right to advertise it however they like without making false claims. It's not like placing a loaded gun in a child's hands. The parent still has to pull the trigger.
Friday, June 15, 2007
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2 comments:
Total bullshit - I agree.
If TV is bombarding these kids with images of Tony the Tiger and the Trix Rabbit, then as parents they should TURN OFF the fucking TV for a little while. It's their own fault for letting TV raise their kids, and laying blame elsewhere just makes them look like a bunch of lazy guilt-ridden assholes.
While they're at it, they should also sue Disney for slapping a "Disney Princess" character on every fucking household item you could ever imagine (with a higher price of course), just so your kids will beg you for tons of shit they could never possibly need.
Did you know my daughter has Disney Princess Chapstick? I shit you not - Snow White fucking Chapstick.
I guess Snow White starts to chafe a bit after blowing all seven dwarves.
But where was I? Oh yeah. I like Apple Jacks, too.
- Assholes in Utah trying to ban Oreo Cookies !
- Politicians fighting to stop fast food companies from Super Sizing.
- And now this Cereal thing?
Ilisa was making fun of me eating a kiddie sugar cereal last week and we compared the nutrition on the back of the box. It turns out that my sugar creal was HEALTHIER than her Yougert covered Cherrios.
What a joke !
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