Walt Disney to Cut Junk Food Ads on TV
Walt Disney Company plans to announce on Tuesday that its cable networks, radio channels and websites will stop accepting some junk food ads, according to media reports.
"Companies in a position to help with solutions to childhood obesity should do just that. This is not altruistic. This is about smart business," said Robert A. Iger, Disney's chairman, to New York Times.
Advertisements focused on children run in to millions of dollars annually.
"This limits the marketing of the worst junk foods, but it won't mean you're only going to see ads for apples, bananas and oranges, either," said Margo G. Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, to New York Times.
Many studies have co-related TV ads that promote unhealthy food choices and risk of obesity among children. TV viewing itself has been seen as an independent risk factor for weight gain in both adults and children. Almost all studies dealing with obesity and children have called for better regulation of food-advertisements on TV channels.
The move by Disney is expected to have a domino effect and similar guidelines may be followed by other kids' channels as well.
"Here comes Disney with yet another symbol, and it's too early to say whether this will simply add to the chaos and confusion or actually help steer parents and kids as they shop," said Kelly D. Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, reports New York Times.
An estimated 14 percent children aged between 2 and 5 years and 19 percent children aged between 6 and 11 years in the U.S. in 2003-2004 were overweight.
"With this new initiative, Disney is doing what no major media company has ever done before in the U.S. — and what I hope every company will do going forward," Mrs. Obama said in a statement, according to New York Times.
According to estimates, an average American child watches at least 3 hours of television per day.
In 2011, Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola and Kellogg Co agreed to stick to voluntary nutrition criteria for products that are aimed at children, reports Reuters.