Posted on 01/19/2006 4:10:03 AM PST by SheLion
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A consumer group wants to keep Tony the Tiger from promoting sugary cereals on the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon show or anywhere else kids are watching.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said on Wednesday it would sue Kellogg Co., the maker of cereals such as Frosted Flakes, and Viacom Inc., which runs the Nickelodeon cable network, if the companies do not change some marketing practices aimed at children.
The Center said letters had been sent to Kellogg and Viacom saying it would settle for a commitment from the companies within 30 days rather than sue.
But, the Center added, if its demands were not met, a lawsuit would be filed asking a Massachusetts court to stop the companies from marketing junk foods in venues where 15 percent or more of the audience is under age 8, and to stop promoting junk foods through Web sites, toy giveaways, contests and other techniques aimed at that age group.
"The industry has had decades to clean up its act, but instead it has only intensified its marketing," the Center's executive director, Michael Jacobson, said at a news conference, where he displayed crackers, cookies and other snacks dotted with television characters.
The proposed lawsuit would mark the latest attempt to battle the growing obesity crisis in the United States through the courts. The would be plaintiffs, including the Center, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and two parents, assert Kellogg and Viacom could be forced to pay billions of dollars in damages if found liable in a trial.
A widely watched lawsuit filed in 2002 accused fast food leader McDonald's Corp. of using misleading advertising to lure children into eating unhealthy foods. McDonald's has called the lawsuit frivolous and parts of the case have been dismissed.
KEEPING KIDS AWAY FROM JUNK FOODS
If a suit were filed, it would contend that Kellogg and Nickelodeon are harming children since the overwhelming majority of food products marketed to them are high in sugar and fat.
"It's hard for a parent to compete with so many ads making junk food fun and cool," Sherri Carlson, a mother of three who would be a plaintiff in a lawsuit, told reporters. "Although I have a strict policy against junk cereals in my house ... this doesn't stop my children from asking me for them, especially after seeing enticing ads."
Nickelodeon said in a statement that it is "an acknowledged leader and positive force in educating and encouraging kids to live healthier lifestyles," and that it would continue to encourage advertisers to provide balanced marketing.
The company said it has also licensed its characters for "good-for-you" products, such as a deal that has SpongeBob characters on packages of Grimmway carrots.
A Kellogg spokeswoman said the company just learned about the proposed action, but would "continue to educate and inform consumers of all ages about the importance of both balanced nutrition and physical activity in maintaining a healthy lifestyle."
The Center said that, of 168 ads for food that appeared on Nickelodeon during a review in the fall, 88 were for foods with poor nutritional quality. Nickelodeon characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants appeared on packages of Kellogg's Wild Bubble Berry Pop-Tarts, which the Center categorized as junk food.
The findings follow a study released last month that found ads influence the foods preferred by children, especially the very young.
The Center's Jacobson said his group was forced to threaten a suit because federal regulators and Congress would not enforce laws against deceptive or harmful marketing.
"The (Federal Trade Commission) and Congress have failed to protect families from commercial exploitation," he said.
The FTC's chairman, Deborah Majoras, has said she opposes the idea of imposing new regulations to ban or restrict children's food advertising and marketing.
Majoras has opposed the idea of imposing new regulations on the industry, instead urging more self-regulation and further efforts to educate parents and children about nutrition.
"If there is evidence of illegal deception in specific advertising, the FTC, the states' attorneys general, and the industry's self regulatory bodies can all take action," said Lee Peeler, deputy director of the agency's consumer protection bureau.
(With reporting by Kenneth Li in New York, Nichola Groom in Los Angeles, Susan Heavey in Washington and Jessica Wohl in Chicago)
I am going to write NASCAR and tell them to stop racing cars. Where do you think street racers come from? They are kids who watched NASCAR, now grown up and racing on city streets.
cereals are GRAINS... eaten with MILK...
Haven't the health nuts been telling us our entire lives to eat more GRAINS and MILK !?!
How does food coloring make it somehow unhealthy?
Or is it just the fact that they add the sugar beforehand that is offensive?
Because when I eat non sugared cereals (like grape nuts, or unsugared cheereeos)... I add far more sugar than they could ever have added beforehand... the whole bottom of the bowl is coated with it.
You would think that would be so simple, I don't know what makes it so hard for some parents. These are the same parents who made a fuss about cookie monster and forced Sesame Street to make him eat veggies. My son knows that I will not buy him some cereals because they are junk. I am the one in charge when it comes to filling up my cart, not a 4, 2 or 1 year old.
The other day, my 4 year old was with me at the grocery store, we walked past the candy bulk items and he said, "We don't buy that cause they're junk. If you eat too much, you get a tummy ache and it will make you fat." I wonder where he learned that...
Yes inded, that's a breakfast.
I would argue that ice cream is a better thing for breakfast than sugared up cereal. Ice cream has milk, eggs, butter and sugar.
Well, at least enough to cover the associated Ritalin bills. ;)
At least you seem to have eaten the cereal, we ate all the marshmallow stuff, and left the actual cereal in the box after we got the toy. That box would set in the cabinet for months with no one eating it!
Spoken more and more like a FReeper anymore. Judging from your sign up date, I am sure you have the "old school" conservative values that used to be so important, and like me, think sarcasm tags are BS. Waiting with popcorn to see the responses to you! ;)
That's what I was going to say: at least you are being honest! Not trying to back door everyone. :)
I take it you don't live in Battle Creek.
This group is spinning it the way they want it. Not the way it is.
a cereal like Fruity Pebbles has approximately 11g of sugar in a serving... that's equal to approximately 2.5 TEASPOONS... you know how small a teaspoon is?
If I add sugar to an unsurgared cereal... I might add half a scoop!
I even had a deed to one square inch in the Yukon!
And a genuine metal detector! (good for finding nails in studs)
I always "accidentally" opened the box from the bottom.
Good guess. :-)
Yup - that's what I had this morning!
As for the Ice cream, I agree as long as it's 'real' and made with the ingredients you list, not a chemical factory special! Might be a little discouraging on a cold morning though!
I am not sure I am understanding your response being directed to me. I don't think cereal is something to ban, no matter what the brand. As a parent, I should be the only governing body of my grocery cart. I only said that we used to buy the box for the toy, eat out all the marshmallow stuff (good stuff) and leave the bland cereal in the box. And as a stay at home mom who cooks lunch and dinner nearly everyday, I know the size of a teaspoon. I used to add more sugar to each cup of coffee I drank in the morning.
My parents grew up in Battle Creek, Mom's dad worked for Post, and Dad's worked for Kelloggs.
Which was real cool because when we were kids we would get all of the toys that they put in the boxes, and that was back when they put cool stuff in cereal boxes.
I save 2% of my company's income in what I call my GL fund. Should any special interest group decide to sue me for being a conservative and CEO of a fortune 100 company, I will use half to fight them, and the other half to pay for advertising that says, "Hey, (insert liberal group here), GET LOST!"
SHould I be atacked by multiple groups, I will just place the ad as, "Hey, COMMIE-PINKOS RETARDS, GET LOST!" (I am all about efficiency.)
I just hit reply to the last message at the time, wasn't directing it at you.
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