Coming soon to a store near you.
Posted on 04/29/2011 10:40:20 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
There’s an old saying that when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail. The government version is this: When all you have is the ability to regulate, the solution to every problem is more regulation:
Citing an epidemic of childhood obesity, regulators are taking aim at a range of tactics used to market foods high in sugar, fat or salt to children, including the use of cartoon characters like Toucan Sam, the brightly colored Froot Loops pitchman, who appears in television commercials and online games as well as on cereal boxes.
The story goes on to say the regulations are “voluntary” but the food industry sees this as more than a hint:
“There’s clearly a demand hidden behind the velvet glove of the voluntary language,” said Dan Jaffe, an executive vice president of the Association of National Advertisers, a trade group that represents marketers like Kraft Foods and Campbell Soup.
In case you’re wondering where all this came from, the “intergovernmental panel” looking at food marketed to children was established by a provision in the 2009 budget omnibus. The recommendations the panel has produced are not entirely original (see footnote 10). They are based on a series of similar recommendations from groups including CSPI and WHO. Whatever the source, the image of the FTC taking on the Keebler elves is, well…magically delicious:
By explicitly tying advertising to childhood obesity, the government is suggesting there is a darker side to cuddly figures like Cap’n Crunch, the Keebler elves, Ronald McDonald and the movie and television characters used to promote food.
It’s perhaps not surprising that the same administration that wants to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant is prepared to treat sugar and salt in much the same manner. If they can replace our light bulbs with something better for us, why not our breakfast cereal?
I do find it a bit hypocritical that they same folks who spent half a billion dollars selling “hope and change” to the youth vote now want to forbid colorful characters used in advertising to children. I’ll grant it’s different if you’ll grant that it’s not all that different:
“When you are a hammer. Everything looks like a nail.”
Nanny State is after me Lucky Charms PING!
So now, who sees light at the end of the tunnel?
Coming soon to a store near you.
First they came for the Maypo Banana Man and I said nothing. Well, he was kind of creepy.
How can there be an obesity problem when liberals keep telling us people are starving in the USA and we need to have more free food.
leftism is insanity
this group needs to use the Citizens United ruling and run an animated ad depicting Michelle Obama killing Toucan Sam and Tony the Tiger
Noooooo.... Captain Crunch, Tony the Tiger, Cocoa-Puff Coo-coo, Count Dracula, Frankenberry, Snap/Crackle/Pop Tripletes, on and on... all being made to do the nickle-plated perp-walk to Super Max... oh, the humanity.
LOL! It reminds me of the movie Repo Man (1984), when Emilio Estevez eats out of a can with a white label that simply says “food”.
Oh! I love that!
I’m stealing it!
Thank You!
(exclamation -point overkill - but I mean it!!!!)
A complete waste of money. Do we have more regulators now than we have people being regulated?
Any idea originating from the likes of CSPI or WHO is one that is dangerous to the Republic and freedom and liberty.
If I make Cap’n Crunch, I WOULD make a new box design taking into account regulator’s concerns. The Cap’n would now be extending his middle finger.
Thanks for the ping!
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