Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...
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<strong>Marketing</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Children</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Adolescents</strong><br />
IV. Assessment of <strong>Food</strong> Company Health<br />
Initiatives <strong>and</strong> Recommendations<br />
In addition <strong>to</strong> requesting expenditure <strong>and</strong> activity data, the Commission’s Special Order<br />
asked reporting companies <strong>to</strong> identify <strong>and</strong> describe all company policies, programs, initiatives,<br />
or activities undertaken or implemented between January 1, 2006 <strong>and</strong> the date of response, <strong>to</strong><br />
encourage healthy eating <strong>and</strong> lifestyle choices by children <strong>and</strong> adolescents. With this request,<br />
the Commission sought information <strong>to</strong> evaluate the extent <strong>to</strong> which the companies had taken<br />
steps <strong>to</strong> implement the recommendations from the 2006 Report on the 2005 FTC/HHS Workshop<br />
on <strong>Marketing</strong>, Self-Regulation & Childhood Obesity. In the 2006 Report, the Commission<br />
committed <strong>to</strong> moni<strong>to</strong>r future developments in food marketing <strong>to</strong> children <strong>and</strong> <strong>to</strong> “issue a follow-<br />
up report assessing the extent <strong>to</strong> which positive, concrete measures have been implemented <strong>and</strong><br />
identifying what, if any, additional steps may be warranted <strong>to</strong> ensure adequate progress is being<br />
made <strong>to</strong> address childhood obesity.” 88<br />
This Section of the Report discusses the information received from the reporting companies,<br />
as well as information from public sources, about initiatives by industry, entertainment <strong>and</strong> media<br />
companies, <strong>and</strong> others, undertaken in response <strong>to</strong> the problem of childhood obesity. In addition,<br />
as promised in the 2006 Report, this Section assesses these steps <strong>and</strong> identifies additional steps<br />
that should be taken. Although the Commission is pleased <strong>to</strong> report that significant progress has<br />
been made on many fronts, room for improvement remains. The Commission encourages all<br />
relevant entities <strong>to</strong> continue <strong>and</strong> exp<strong>and</strong> their efforts, particularly in the areas identified below.<br />
A. The 2005 Workshop on <strong>Marketing</strong>, Self-Regulation &<br />
Childhood Obesity <strong>and</strong> the 2006 Report<br />
As noted in Section I, the FTC <strong>and</strong> HHS jointly convened a two-day Workshop on<br />
<strong>Marketing</strong>, Self-Regulation & Childhood Obesity in July 2005. Participants included<br />
government officials, health experts, consumer advocates, <strong>and</strong> representatives of the food<br />
<strong>and</strong> beverage <strong>and</strong> media industries. The goal of the Workshop was <strong>to</strong> focus attention on the<br />
positive initiatives that all the participants could take <strong>to</strong> encourage healthier eating <strong>and</strong> lifestyles,<br />
particularly among the nation’s youth.<br />
As discussed in the April 2006 Report, the Workshop yielded a number of important<br />
findings. Some food <strong>and</strong> beverage companies had already undertaken steps <strong>to</strong> address the<br />
problem of childhood obesity, including introducing new products that are lower in calories <strong>and</strong><br />
more nutritious, some of which are specifically targeted <strong>to</strong> children; using smaller packaging<br />
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