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children 
Thu Feb 17, 2011 at 01:55:56 AM PST
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I don't have kids of my own, so I am extremely lucky that I've got someone else's children in my life. My roommate has two kids, the younger of whom is four. And, at least some of the time, she likes to garden.
There's something about preschoolers that goes away at some point. I don't know when, but it seems to be before age seven. I can suggest something - anything - to my four year old friend, and because I'm cool, and I said it, my idea is always cool. I can say "Yummy! Daddy makes the best broccoli," and scoop a big bunch of it into my mouth, and Ms. Preschooler, who does not necessarily want to eat her vegetables all the time, will do the same. We'll agree that Daddy is the best chef in the world, and we'll both eat all of our broccoli.
Her much cooler, more knowing older sister would NEVER fall for that one. If I think the broccoli is delicious, well, she knows that actually broccoli is disgusting, and Daddy and his roommate are WEIRD. No way I could get Ms. Cool Pre-pre-teen out into the garden with me (most of the time... once a year or so hell freezes over and she gets interested in it). But the little one's been gardening with me since age two.
So today, when I headed outside to the garden, Ms. Preschooler announced she was coming with me.
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Tue Mar 23, 2010 at 14:46:00 PM PDT
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Today I have a piece on Alternet about marketing to kids. This issue became VERY personal when I moved in with my boyfriend and his two young kids. In fact, the article opens with a paragraph or two about my boyfriend and his oldest daughter. I wrote about them not to criticize his parenting but to point out how tricky the marketers are, operating in ways that the parents just don't suspect. Even wonderful, loving, involved, intelligent parents like my boyfriend. Every so often, the kids come home with a new toy. When I ask where they got it, my boyfriend will say, "You won't like the answer." That means: It came from a Happy Meal. He does this rarely now, but the McDonald's trips were much more frequent before I came into the picture. At my suggestion, he's at least transitioned over to In N Out Burger when his kids really start begging for fast food. Things have changed since I've been around. I assume that he let his ex-wife (and the kids themselves) take the lead on a lot of things, perhaps because as a guy, he figured that they knew best what girls wanted. When it comes down to it, my boyfriend is incredibly loving and that's the most important thing any parent can do. Many parents THINK they provide their kids with unconditional love but they don't. Many can't, often because they didn't receive unconditional love when they were kids. But my boyfriend truly does. And while that's the #1 most crucial thing any parent can do, but it doesn't give them a free pass on other things - like paying attention to marketing to their own kids. When we've talked about marketing, my boyfriend noted that his generation was exposed to marketing too and he came out fine. Which is true. Except marketers are so much more sophisticated now that parents who assume that just have NO IDEA what their kids are being exposed to. It's not just the food, but toys too. And while the issues I write about are all food-related, as a step-parent, I can't ignore toys. I was very grateful that this article forced me to reach out to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, because their work is excellent. I read through several pages of their site and they effectively state what I have observed but often haven't been able to put into words. All of the marketing these days can zap a kid's creativity. Our little one likes to play pretend, but very often that means just recreating scenes from Disney movies, word for word. She's got Cinderella's official dress AND glass slippers. I've been the wicked stepmother (ironic, huh?), the stepsisters, and the prince. She's ALWAYS Cinderella. It's so cute when she does this (although I HATE participating) but there's very little creativity involved because the story and the script are already written for her. I noticed on my own that a lot of the marketing trains children as consumers from a young age. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the Webkinz toys, which our older daughter LOVES. She's got about $600 worth of these stupid stuffed animals, and she logs each one into the Webkinz website and gives it a gender and a name. Then she plays games on the site to win fake money, which she can use to buy stuff for her Webkinz virtual world. The entire goal of the game is the needless accumulation of stuff. But Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood points out an even MORE disturbing point. Marketing teaches children that you need to always have newer, bigger, better, and more. What you have now is never enough. Buddhism teaches that pain comes from desire, and by ending desire, one can end pain. In other words, be happy with what you have. And certainly sometimes people have legitimate needs, and it's nice to get a new present or treat once in a while. But does one child need 40 stuffed animals or more? (And yes, she wants more.) This mentality creates unhappiness, as there is always something more to buy and what you have is never enough.
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Fri Dec 18, 2009 at 22:05:57 PM PST
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Since it's the time of year for gift giving, I'd like to post about a few cute kids' books I found on sustainability. In our house, we've begun composting, vermicomposting, and gardening in the past several months. I think our older munchkin gets what's going on, but the little one (age 3) probably doesn't. She knows we have worms (and oh boy does she play with them!). She helped me plant squash seeds today. She helps me put food scraps into the compost bin. But I don't really think she connects those food scraps going into the compost or worm bins with the nice humus and castings they will turn into, nor do I know if she will understand once we have squash plants that they came from those seeds. And that the squash are also full of seeds! So I set about looking for some books to get her on the subject.
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Tue Dec 15, 2009 at 13:45:50 PM PST
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The FTC forum on food marketing to kids is just now finishing up and the last panel was actually wonderful and informative. It was several representatives of an interagency working group on food marketing to kids and they reported on the work they've done over the past several months. The ultimate goal of this group is to set guidelines (not regulations) for companies advertising to kids and to provide a report to Congress by July 15, 2010. Find out what they've been up to below...
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Tue Dec 15, 2009 at 11:59:07 AM PST
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The FTC forum on food advertising to kids is going on now. They are currently wrapping up a panel on corporate self-regulation of food advertising to kids. First they had several "good guys" speak, followed by a few corporate shills. I listened to corporate shill #1 and decided to skip out on the rest since I already know what they will say. Voila! Self-regulation is working. That's what they always say. So here's what the other speakers said on self-regulation.
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Mon Dec 07, 2009 at 00:50:49 AM PST
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December 15, the FTC will hold a forum to explore food marketing to children. This is in the wake of the 2008 report Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities, and Self-Regulation.
Below you'll find some of the findings of the report, as well as details of the event on the 15th. The recommendations made in the report are entirely outrageous. They totally accept the fact that corporations are going to continue to spend billions marketing junk to kids. Furthermore, they ask the companies to do outreach to kids, teaching them healthy eating habits. I'm sorry but I really do not want Coca-Cola and McDonalds teaching kids about healthy eating!! If any readers of this blog can make it to the forum, I urge you to go - and then post a diary about it on this blog afterward.
UPDATE: The event will be available by webcast here.
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Sun Jun 21, 2009 at 08:53:41 AM PDT
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So says a Republican state representative in Missouri who doesn't want to expand a lunch program to feed kids when they're out of school:
Why have meals at home with your loved ones if you can go to the government soup kitchen and get one for free? This could have the effect of breaking apart more families.
Anyone under 18 can be eligible? Can't they get a job during the summer by the time they are 16? Hunger can be a positive motivator. What is wrong with the idea of getting a job so you can get better meals?
Tip: If you work for McDonald's, they will feed you for free during your break.
Families may economize by choosing to not waste hard earned dollars on potato chips, ice cream, or Twinkies. Perhaps some families will buy more beans and chicken and less sweets.
They are using a "crisis" to create an expansion of a government program. Parents naturally love their children and enjoy caring for their children just as much as ever during an economic downturn...Laid off parents could adapt by preparing more home cooked meals rather than going out to eat.
Yeah, nothing says fake "crisis" like rising child hunger during an economic recession. Come on, kids, get a job!
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Fri Apr 10, 2009 at 13:45:00 PM PDT
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Is harming innocent children worth it if it means we all get cheap food? This article's title says it all: "Pesticides finding way to migrant workers' children." A study found "high levels of pesticide exposure" in children ages 1-6 of migrant workers in E. North Carolina.
And, talk about NOT GETTING IT! The article says:
Educating workers and pushing for more enforcement of safety laws are central to protecting workers and their children from chemicals, experts say.
Educating the workers? How about not using these poisons on OUR FOOD. The article mentions three workers whose babies had "serious birth defects." I believe that's proof that the risk we're taking isn't worth it. Clearly, even if education could work, the consequences are just too grave when someone screws up.
Yet what do the pesticide manufacturers say?
"This information is helpful, but it's only a snapshot at a particular time," said Allan Noe, spokesman for CropLife America, a trade group of pesticide manufacturers.
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Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 07:00:00 AM PST
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A study found an increase in children taking medications to manage chronic conditions, many of which are linked to obesity. The study lasted from 2002-2005, and in those four years they found a doubling in children taking meds for type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult onset diabetes) and a 47% increase in kids taking asthma drugs. There were also increases in high cholesterol and hypertension drugs among kids during this period.
Reading through the entire article, you'll find that the reason for the increase in type 2 diabetes meds is NOT a doubling in type 2 diabetes (although no doubt there was probably still an increase). Apparently some doctors are prescribing the meds inappropriately, and others are using them for off-label uses. Also, the article mentions an increase in medication to treat ADD, which makes me really wonder about the safety of giving children food with artificial food dyes known to cause behavioral problems in kids. How many of these kids on drugs would have no problems at all if they stopped eating Skittles and drinking Mountain Dew?
One other point to note, that calls the validity of this study into question, is that the data was taken from commercial insurance companies, so kids who are uninsured or insured via Medicaid were not included. Since we know that the low income population of the U.S. also suffers disproportionately from obesity and (I would assume therefore) diet-related illness, I think we need to include those children in order to get valid numbers.
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Mon Aug 18, 2008 at 07:16:39 AM PDT
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( - promoted by Jill Richardson)
Recently, I wrote a diary on a revealing report by the Federal Trade Commission about how food companies are targeting kids with all kinds of junk food marketing, to the tune of $1.6 billion annually. I praised the FTC for writing such a damning indictment of how the likes of McDonald's and Kraft Foods take advantage of children's vulnerabilities, often going behind parents' backs, for example, in schools. But the detailed description of how kids are marketed to is where my praise for the agency ends.
Like many other government reports, it's like one staff person (among the rank and file) wrote the description of the problem, while another (more politically accountable) wrote the recommendations. Trouble is the two don't go together. What's the point of having a government agency conduct a damning investigation that results in no meaningful recommendations for regulatory action?
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Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 08:00:00 AM PDT
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Another one to file under "duh." New Study Shows that 93 percent of Kids' Meals at Restaurants Provide Children with Calorie Overdose
Every single possible combination of the children's meals at KFC, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack in the Box and Chick-fil-A is too high in calories, according to a study released today by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA). Analysis of the nutritional quality of kids' meals at 13 top restaurant chains shows that 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices exceed 430 calories--an amount that is one-third of what the Institute of Medicine recommends children aged 4 through 8 should consume in a day.
Really? You're kidding! You mean that chicken fingers or burgers, french fries, and a Coke are bad for you? I'm shocked! To be fair, the restaurants examined WERE all fast food restaurants... what do you expect when you analyze nutrition at fast food joints? Their entire raison d'etre is making you fat. Then again, my hunch is that sit down restaurants kids meals would score badly as well.
Subway's kids' meals came out on top. Only a third of its Fresh Fit for Kids meals, which include a mini-sub, juice box and one of several healthful side items (apple slices, raisins or yogurt), exceed the 430-calorie threshold. Subway is the only chain that doesn't offer soft drinks with kids' meals.
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Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 07:17:48 AM PDT
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(Very important diary! - promoted by OrangeClouds115)
It's a rare day when I think the Federal Trade Commission has actually performed a valuable public service and lived up to its motto, "For the Consumer." But last week, the agency charged with protecting us from scrupulous marketers (among other corporate aggression) released a landmark report on food marketing to children. At the request of Congress, FTC subpoenaed 44 food and beverage companies to find out just how much money is spent targeting youth with food marketing. While the recommendations are worthless (more on that later), the data is priceless.
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Sat Aug 02, 2008 at 15:52:33 PM PDT
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I'm sure this is not news, but for what it's worth, check out this article: Marketing To Kids: FTC, CBBB Weigh In With Reports. Headlines in every major newspaper screamed about the $1.6 billion advertisers spend marketing junk to kids. But - to be fair and balanced - they quoted from the other report published this week. You know, the one from junk food companies congratulating themselves for self-regulation.
The bottom line on the two reports: CBBB concluded that the voluntarily participating F&B companies are indeed complying with their pledges. The FTC, while making several recommendations and stressing that it will continue to monitor the situation closely, referred to progress on the self-regulatory front and did not advocate federal government intervention at this time.
During the press conference releasing their results, FTC officials stated that for the time being, they would "like to see how the self-regulatory process is working" in terms of F&B companies adhering to their CFBAI pledges and adopting the FTC's recommendations. They added that the self-regulatory process "is not yet fully implemented" by companies, and must be implemented "over a period of time."
Big Food's PR spin is making me dizzy. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
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Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 23:33:08 PM PDT
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(I'm so glad Michele has posted on our site! She was a fantastic speaker at Netroots Nation and I greatly enjoy her writing as well as her speaking!!! - promoted by OrangeClouds115)
While I've been writing about the politics of food for about 12 years now, it's only been in the last few years that I've become more aware of how children are marketed to by Corporate America. The most obvious are toys and food, but that's only part of the picture. Marketers spend 17 billion dollars a year peddling directly to kids, undermining parental authority, targeting children in schools and increasingly online, all of which is resulting in such adverse social consequences as teen smoking and drinking, childhood obesity, and sexualization at younger and younger ages.
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