White House: Stop Marketing Unhealthy Foods to Kids

First lady Michelle Obama speaks at an event at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Tuesday, May 11, 2010, in Washington, to discuss the findings of the Childhood Obesity Task Force report.

/ AP

Updated 1:10 p.m. ET

A White House report warns "The childhood obesity epidemic in America is a national health crisis."

The review by the Task Force on Childhood Obesity says one out of every three children is overweight or obese. The task force is a key part of First Lady Michelle Obama's campaign to solve the problem of obesity within a generation.

The report includes familiar themes, emphasizing the importance of improved nutrition and physical activity. It also calls for some new and dramatic efforts to curtail marketing of unhealthy foods.

"We have a roadmap for implementing our plan across our government and across the country," Michelle Obama told reporters today.

But administration officials repeatedly emphasized the effort would rely on "bully pulpit" pressure and not any new federal mandates to push the changes.

Setting the tone for that pressure, the first lady said, "No one gets off the hook on this one from governments to schools, corporations to non-profits all the way down to families sitting around their dinner table."

She said she would "focus my energy" to keep the issue at "the forefront of the discussion in society."

The task force wants junk food makers and marketers to go on what amounts to an advertising diet. It says media characters that are often popular with kids should only be used to promote healthy products. If voluntary efforts fail to limit marketing of less healthy products to young viewers, the task force suggests the FCC should consider new rules on commercials in children's programming. It also challenges food retailers to stop using in-store displays to sell unhealthy food items to children.

But Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz said, "A regulatory approach is certainly not where we want to start." He told a briefing, "You start by pushing self-regulation, by pushing your bully pulpit; sometimes shaming companies that don't do enough."

Leibowitz indicated the FTC would issue new subpoenas to major food marketing and fast food companies that were questioned in 2005 about their marketing approaches. The FTC chief said the agency would determine whether the firms have honored commitments and "whether we can make them do more."

Leibowitz sees some marketing of healthier foods but he concedes "more needs to be done."

The advisory panel proposes better food content labeling on products and vending machines. Restaurants and vending machine companies are urged to display calorie counts. The experts say the FDA and USDA should cooperate with the food and beverage industries to develop a standard system of nutrition labeling on the front of packages. The study also suggests that restaurants should re-evaluate portion sizes, improve kids' menus and list more healthy food choices.

First lady Michelle Obama shakes hands with students after a discussion on childhood obesity, April 7, 2010.

/ AP

The task force also sees a potential pocketbook approach to keep people from buying unhealthy foods. It calls for analyzing the effect of imposing state and local sales taxes on less healthy products.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius emphasized, "There is no proposal for a federal tax on sugar."

She noted some local governments have seen a possible correlation between a lower use of sugary items and increased taxes on certain products.

The White House study says school systems should consider promoting healthier food in cafeterias. One idea: "swap deep fryers for salad bars."

Children will likely cheer the panel's call for schools to promote recess for younger students and "physical activity breaks" for upper level grades.

The report found one out of every three children is overweight or obese, conditions that increase their risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer in their lifetimes. The cost of treating obesity-related ailments is estimated to be $150 billion per year.

The task force concludes that strategies listed in the report "should" achieve the goal of solving the childhood obesity problem within a generation. It concedes it won't be easy.

(Follow me on Twitter @petermaercbs.)

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Peter Maer is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter.

[Sara_E]

In 1984 FCC deregulated the laws protecting children from direct marketing on TV.

According to the Center for Disease Control, back then (1984) only 1 in 10 kids were overweight or obese , now it's 1 in 3. 80% of overweight Children will grow up to become Obese adults who will die before they are 50.

Only 5% of ads for food products shown on TV are for healthy foods and that is mostly ads for juice according to a report conducted by the Institute of Medicine.

In a study by Byrd?Bredbenner and Grasso found fats, oils, and sweets were advertised almost four times as much as the recommended proportion of such foods? in a healthy diet.

In another study by Harrison and Marske concluded a diet composed of advertised foods would exceed medically recommended consumption levels of saturated fat, sodium, and sugar.

Each company is estimated on spending 100 million dollars per year on marketing to kids. Why?

MARKETING WORKS!

Until the age of eight children do NOT understand the persuasive intent of advertising! (Reports The Handbook of Children and Media & Children's Understanding of TV Advertising)

"The Market" has been self regulating for the last thirty years and our kids only get fatter.(http://www.caru.org/)

They are sacrificing our future as a healthy nation for the all mighty dollar.

Of course it's up to parents to watch what our kids eat and what our kids watch.

Who is educating the parents?

How will we know not to drink the Kool-Aid if we don't know what's in it?

[jamesod2-2009]

[Corrected Comment]

The establishment and funding of an obesity task force is merely "anudder slophausen" taxpayer-milking and national takeover "idee", courtesy of our "deah massah an' 'is" assistant overseers "up theah" in "das Weiss Haus" on Penn Avenue.

"Akuma??devil--take it, the usual reasons for anyone, child or adult, over-larding is excessive "haute cuisine" and sugar-laden Danish intake, and too little exercise. But for correcting most suet overloading by children the responsibility is the parents?, and by those adults who are toting around excess baggage, the responsibility is their own, but in neither instance is the responsibility the Government?s!

This determination to intrude into our daily lives is but additional evidence that OUR ?dear leader? intends not only to DICTATE how far we must go into debt, but also how we, the FREE people of the United States, live from day to day. This, Gott hilf uns, is not the United States into which I was born, four years before the ?great? depression! And it prompts me to ask, ?Are we now in need of a new Declaration of Independence, to supplement the one prepared and signed, in 1776, by the members of our Continental Congress? If you do not understand what I mean, read, in its entirety, our ?Declaration of Independence? at

http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-declaration-of-independence,

and think, my countrymen, THINK!

[jamesod2-2009]

The establishment and funding of an obesity task force is merely "anudder slophausen" taxpayer-milking and national takeover "idee", courtesy of our "deah massah an' 'is" assistant overseers "up theah" in "das Wei? Haus" on Penn Avenue. "Akuma??devil--take it, the usual reasons for anyone, child or adult, over-larding is excessive "haute cuisine" and sugar-laden Danish intake, and too little exercise. But for correcting most suet overloading by children the responsibility is the parents?, and by those adults who are toting around excess baggage, the responsibility is their own, but in neither instance is the responsibility the Government?s! This determination to intrude into our daily lives is but additional evidence that OUR ?dear leader? intends not only to DICTATE how far we must go into debt, but also how we, the FREE people of the United States, live from day to day. This, Gott hilf uns, is not the United States into which I was born, four years before the ?great? depression! And it prompts me to ask, ?Are we now in need of a new Declaration of Independence, to supplement the one prepared and signed, in 1776, by the members of our Continental Congress? If you do not understand what I mean, read, in its entirety, our ?Declaration of Independence? at

http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-declaration-of-independence

and think, my countrymen, THINK!

[Goofy1954]

Stop telling us what to do and start cutting your spending You have no right to tell anyone what to market when you can not even control spending

[sunnygirl2]

Typical elitist hypocricy. Maybe Mrs. Obama would like to have a little talk with Mr. Obama about his smoking. The last place I want these two is at my dinner table.

[omstrat]

Big Brother thinks we are too stupid to think for ourselves.
It is NOT the government's job to be doing ANY of this . We have moved a million miles away from the intent of why this country was founded. Obama is a Marxist , it is so clear now. Government runs every aspect of your life. Wake up liberals , I though you were the ones in the 60s ******** about the MAN making you do things and restricting your FREEDOM? Now YOU are the man and you are WORSE than and MAN we had then . You can't force me to by health care and you can't tell me what I can eat or smoke or drink either. F all of you phony liberals because you are supporting a fascist government that want control..Control of banks , care companies, health care , food , the internet and radio..But you don't see it do you , you fools. See Greece ? we will be there in 2 years.

[Goofy1954]

I would like the name of her program better "Lets Move" if it meant her and hubby were moving from the White House Now that would be a good campaign slogan

[Goofy1954]

Just something to give Mrs Obamacare something to do and another way to spend our money. She says we need to teach our kids to eat healthier, The two in the White House need to start setting an example for our children to quit spending other peoples money like their was no end. show them as we have to that you must live within budgets. Maybe she thinks we forget her statement that when her hubby was elected was the first time she was proud to be an American. She deserves no place in our childrens lives or the White House.

[calgal4]

We voted in her husband into the Presidential Office...she deserves to be there!

[Consumer007]

Ummm...yes she DOES. It's called an election. The Obama haters just weren't good enough and smart enough to turn out the vote. You LOST, like 2 years ago. Deal with it already.

Helping children eat healthier, and helping parents fight a billion dollar industry trying to give their kids cancer 24/7 is a noble pursuit. Obviously you understand NOTHING about advertising. Go watch the movie the Corporation, and the segment about marketing items to kids and LEARN something.

[noloyalisti]

Ok, I have moved two mortgages away from Wells Fargo Bank and refinanced through a local community bank. I have move all my savings away from Wells Fargo and placed in in credit unions. We invested all our retirement and kids college money in Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Funds. Got rid of Oppenheimer, Morgan Stanley, Fidelity, American Funds, etc. Out 4 cell phones are with Credo Mobil and we grow a lot of our own vegetable and fruit (and give it away to friends and neighbors).

I write letters all the time to the President and Congress event though they were appointed and are paid by the big corporations. Today as every week I am going to the corner vigil to hold a sign, my new one says War is Corporate Terrorism.

[PEteachIL]

Taken off, I hope all have a good night, a good healthy dinner, and a nice long walk before bed. Nice sharing ideas with you.

[123xmarksthespot]

PEteachIL - You too.