Anti-Obesity Ads plus Food Advertising to Kids

The state of Georgia has released new ads to bring attention to the issue of childhood obesity in that state. The ads have some worried about increased stigma to overweight or obese kids. The below article came out yesterday and discusses the balance between wanting to address childhood obesity while working to help kids maintain and create healthy self esteem.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/georgia-child-obesity-ads_n_856255.html

The federal government issued new voluntary guidelines to food companies last week to limit their advertising to children if they contain certain amounts of unhealthy ingredients. To date any advertising guidelines have been self regulated by the food industry and although food companies have reduced TV advertising to kids in the face of public pressure, they have moved much of that advertising to other forms of media like the Internet and social media. The below article details the guidelines as well as when they hope to be in effect.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/28/marketing-junk-food-kids_n_854949.html

I have also included a blog that came out last week discussing how food advertising is moving beyond TV and what level of responsibility the food industry has and how best to move those companies in a direction that helps parents support their kids' healthy eating.

http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/04/the-era-of-ads-food-marketing-to-kids-goes-viral/237727/