THE JUNK FOOD PUSHERS - Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America - page 27

Facts Up Front is likely to serve more as a marketing tool than as a label. The industry is most interested
in listing positive aspects of the food rather than informing consumers about the negatives. The Facts Up
Front Web site states: “Manufacturers may also choose to include information on up to two 'nutrients
to encourage.' These nutrients—potassium, fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium and
iron—are needed to build a 'nutrient-dense' diet, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” With
this guidance, the label could be used to “encourage” consumers to eat ice cream as a source of calcium or
to choose sugary cereal with added vitamin C and iron for its nutritional benefits.
GMA's Bailey claims that “this initiative comes on top of the 20,000 healthier product choices we have
developed, the responsible marketing practices we have adopted and the tens of millions of dollars we
spend annually on healthy-lifestyle promotion.” 11 Yet there is little evidence to support the claim that new
products, most of which are processed foods, will improve consumer health. A plethora of new offerings at
the grocery store is unnecessary, because it is well documented that the key to health is a low-fat diet that
is rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
In addition to developing deceptive labeling initiatives, the industry trade associations and companies
are vehemently opposing even voluntary guidelines about marketing to children that are being written
jointly by the FTC, the USDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children are extremely
vulnerable targets of advertising, because they accept ads at face value and do not understand the intent to
persuade. According to Consumer Reports , “[Y]oung children have difficulty distinguishing between ad-
vertising and reality in ads, and ads can distort their view of the world.” 12
The Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity documented that aggressive marketing of junk food
to children is one of the causes of childhood obesity. The center reported that the fast-food industry spent
more than $4.2 billion in 2009 on advertising on TV and radio, in magazines, and with outdoor advertising
and other media.
The federal government has proven weak-kneed when it comes to protecting children. In October 2011
David Vladeck, the director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, testified about the importance of
removing brand mascots, stating, “Those elements of packaging, though appealing to children, are also ele-
ments of marketing to a broader audience and are inextricably linked to the food's brand identity.” Vladeck
proposed a compromise: focus voluntary guidelines on children aged two to eleven instead of up to age
seventeen and allow the marketing of unhealthy foods at fund-raisers and sporting events. 13
Industry representatives, backed by House Republicans, have aggressively killed even voluntary
guidelines, because they “are too broad and would limit marketing of almost all of the nation's favorite
foods, including some yogurts and many children's cereals,” and because the government might “retaliate
against them if they don't go along.” Not appeased by the Obama administration's surrender on the vol-
untary guidelines, a lobbyist for the GMA said, “[C] ompanies want the government to prove how these
changes will help stem obesity and do a cost analysis looking at the effects through the chain to custom-
ers.” As a result, the well-known symbols for Kellogg's cereals—Frosted Flakes's Tony the Tiger and Fruit
Loops's Toucan Sam—will continue to attract children to the sugar-laden, nutrition-deficient cereals. 14
Particularly distressing is the GMA study that claims the voluntary standards would cause consumers
to eat imported fruits and vegetables, rather than American grains, costing the country $30 billion. General
Mills, the sixth-largest food manufacturer in the country, claimed that the “economic consequences [of the
guidelines] for American consumers and American agriculture would be devastating,” and the company
predicted “severe” economic consequences for media outlets. 15 While they were hard-pressed to find an
argument against eating fresh produce, it is especially galling that the trade association and industry, the
biggest cheerleaders for offshoring food production, are now bemoaning imported fruits and vegetables.
The soda industry has also gone on the offensive against efforts to stop vending-machine sales in
schools and has been launching legal attacks against antiobesity advocates. According to Reuters, the in-