subject: Junk Food at Schools [print this page] Junk Food at Schools Junk Food at Schools
We've all heard the alarming statistics about childhood obesity. Health and nutrition experts warn that American childhood obesity is at epidemic proportions, with some estimates as high as 25 percent. That's why the Alliance for a Healthier Generation should be applauded for negotiating its agreement with the American Beverage Association and other food makers that curbs the sale of high calorie drinks at public schools.
The applause needn't be uproarious, though because the plan seems far from ideal. A press release from the Alliance boasts that "at least half" of beverages sold in high schools will now be water, low and no-calorie drinks and light juices. But what about the other half? And what about the vending machines stuffed with junk food like potato chips and candy? More significantly, what about the barrage of advertising kids are subjected to at school every day?
One can only assume these issues are not addressed because the Alliance has refused to disclose the actual agreement to the numerous consumer advocacy organizations that have requested it. The group has only made public a three-page press release lauding the agreement as "groundbreaking."
A step in the right direction? Absolutely. Ground breaking? Hardly.
The Alliance undoubtedly has the best interests of American children at heart when it negotiated this deal with Cadbury Schwepps, Coca Cola, PepsiCo and the American Beverage Association. But an initiative like this cannot solve the greater cultural issues at the root of childhood obesity and hyper-consumerism. As a mother, I'm pleased that the makers of junk food and drinks are scaling back their sales at public schools. What I want to know is why they were there in the first place.
Many of today's schools are equipped with vending machines with colorful, illuminated logos. There are also advertisements on fields, stadiums, cafeterias and hallways. More subtle marketing exists as well. In Susan Linn's Consuming Kids, the psychologist cites programs on energy production sponsored by Exxon Mobil. Do these programs foster critical thinking and ask the tough questions of the oil industry, or are they simply corporate cheerleaders touting the benefits of Exxon Mobil? Isn't there a more unbiased source of educational material on energy? PepsiCo brought cardboard stand ups of Britney Spears promoting milk at school cafeterias. Not a terrible thing unless you include the blatant hocking of her new CD that was included. Pizza Hut also offers coupons through schools that reward kids for reading. That's not an awful thing. But let's not be na?ve. Pizza Hut isn't simply offering coupons to kids out of the goodness of its heart - the pizza maker is advertising.
Possibly one of the worst commercial influences to infiltrate public schools is Channel One, which offers schools free televisions and equipment in exchange for airing their a 12-minute "news" segment -- in its entirety -- every day. The problem is that these segments are presented through the filter of Channel One's corporate sponsors. Additionally, 16 percent of the air time is devoted to advertising.
Kids don't need any more exposure to ads. The average American child sees 40,000 commercials each year on television alone. Kids also view countless magazine ads, billboard and signs. They are hit by ads in the Internet, radio and video games. When they go to the Culligan Holiday Bowl at the Qualcomm Stadium or a baseball game at Petco Park, they see and hear even more ads. Can't we have one place that is not decked out with corporate logos? Shouldn't that one place be school?
In Born to Buy, Juliet Schor's comprehensive analysis of consumerism in the United States, the social scientist explains that today's typical American eighteen-month-old toddler can already recognize logos. When they start at school, kids are able to identify 200 brands.
Parents have a full plate these days. We have to protect our kids from a far more dangerous, predatory world than the one on which we were raised. But as we shield our children from violence in movies and perverts on the Internet, let's also remember that corporate marketing can undermine the values we promote at home. At home, I can turn off the television. At home I can safeguard the computer. When my daughter is at school, I can only count on public policy to protect her from aggressive marketing by those who profit from the sale junk food and drink.
That public policy does not exist. In fact, a federal government report issued in 2000 by the General Accounting Office said that marketing through schools was a growth industry.
In many other countries, marketing to kids is regulated. In the United States, we stand up and cheer when the American Beverage Association agrees to limit the sale of high calorie, low (or no) nutrition drinks to 50 percent.
Until our country gets serious about campaign finance reform, the biggest political contributors will continue to be corporate ones. Until we enact lobby reform, our most powerful influences on policymakers will continue to be employees of America's largest companies. When we allow our country to become America, Incorporated, the needs of people become dwarfed by the needs of corporations. People are viewed less as humans and more as potential consumers. As a result, educational institutions become marketing vehicles for Dr. Pepper. This not only contributes to childhood obesity, but it takes education out of the hands of teachers and forfeits it to the Cadbury bunny.
Most businesses are run by good people whose products and services make a real contribution to our society. The problem is that a handful of companies believe that their economic bottom line is more important than the health and well-being of people.
The Alliance deal is a decent one and a step in the right direction. Let's give credit where it is due. But let's also not miss the greater opportunity to discuss how kids are marketed to through schools every day. Yes, our kids are getting fatter. Not so coincidentally, so are the paychecks of executives at companies who market to school kids.
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