junk food marketing to kids

[bellybabe]

I was going to put this on the school dinners thread, but after so long it felt like bumping, so I thought I'd start over... I do have the text of the letter and editors' notes if anyone wants to see them, but it made for too long a post here:


Press release

Top chefs tell PM to ban junk food marketing to kids


An open letter from more than twenty prominent food writers and chefs today calls on the Prime Minister to support the Children's Food Bill to protect children from being targeted by junk food advertisers. The letter's signatories include Raymond Blanc, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Sophie Grigson, Marguerite Patten OBE, Gary Rhodes, Nigel Slater, Rick Stein and Antony Worrall Thompson. [1]



Whilst welcoming recent announcements to introduce minimum nutritional standards for school food, [2] the letter calls upon the Government to end advertising and promotions which present junk food and drinks to children as positive and desirable choices. It also calls for practical food education to become part of the school curriculum for every child, "to stop the scandal of children leaving school knowing only how to open a packet or a tin".



Protecting children from junk food marketing and ensuring practical food education for all children are central provisions of the Children's Food Bill, which is already supported by more than 200 cross-party MPs, 150 national organisations and many thousands of parents. [3]



Publication of the letter takes place to coincide with National School Meals Week [4] and the Children's Food Bill launch in the House of Commons on Wednesday 12th October, to be hosted by the Bill's sponsor, Mary Creagh MP, and addressed by award-winning food writer Sophie Grigson. [5]



Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield said, "I welcome Government proposals for nutrient standards for school meals and the removal of junk food from school vending machines. This is a victory for all those who have campaigned for better food in schools.

I want the Government to go further. Parents are tired of being pestered to buy unhealthy foods at supermarkets because their children recognise Bart Simpson or Shrek on the packet. Young people need to be educated about food so that they can make informed decisions about their diet which they can take into adult life."


Sophie Grigson, award-winning food writer said, "To change children's attitudes to food, we need to improve their food environments both in and out of school.



As well as presenting good appetising food on their plates, we must protect children from advertisements which promote unhealthy food and drinks, and make sure they learn the skills that enable them to prepare delicious healthy food from fresh ingredients".



For more information, please call:



Henry Gregg in Mary Creagh MP's office on 0207 219 6984 or 07980 298404;

Charlie Powell, Children's Food Bill Project Officer on 0207 837 1228 or 07817 746786; or

Jeanette Longfield, Co-ordinator of Sustain on 0207 837 1228

[Pal of Porty]

If you took a look in many of the kids packed lunch boxes you would see that it is the Parents who should be first in the queue for lectures on food!

[Bob Jefferson]

Kids learn their eating habits from their parents. I'm with PoP on this one - it's the parents who need to be educated. Bring back the nanny state and lets start with mandatory parenting classes for all.

The healthy eating message doesn't seem to have filtered down to Towerbank Nursery, where they tried to feed my daughter a hotdog the other week. However, there is unlikely to be a repetition as we have now declared her to be vegetarian (for the time she is there at least).

[scossie5]

[Ed]

[teddygirl]

[Bob Jefferson]

[teddygirl]

[Pal of Porty]