Tag: children
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FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Fish and Mercury Intake for Children and Pregnant Women
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have joined to issue draft guidance on mercury levels and fish consumption, directed at pregnant women and guardians of young children. Recommendations include eating 8 to 12 ounces (two to three servings) of low-mercury fish like tilapia, catfish, cod, salmon, and shrimp…
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Study Finds Candy-Themed “Advergames” Lead to Higher Calorie Consumption in Kids
Researchers in the Netherlands have reportedly identified a link between computer games with food advertisements and higher calorie consumption in children, especially among those identified as impulsive. Frans Folkvord et al., “Impulsivity, ‘Advergames,’ and Food Intake,” Pediatrics, May 5, 2014. The study of 261 children aged seven to 10 assessed them for impulsivity, and then…
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Study Reveals Processed Foods Contain More Food Dye than Previously Thought
A recent study by Purdue University scientists has purportedly concluded that the amounts of artificial food colors found in many popular U.S. foods are much higher than previously thought, and children—the target market for the most heavily dyed foods—could be consuming 100 to 200 mg of artificial color in a day, well over the 30…
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WHO Places Obesity in the Spotlight
As the World Health Assembly opened its 67th session in Geneva, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan reportedly expressed her deep concern about the increasing incidence worldwide in childhood obesity, stating, “Our children are getting fatter.” Chan announced the formation of a high-level Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. Chaired by Peter Gluckman, the chief…
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Bill Would End Tax Subsidy for Food and Beverage Youth Marketing
U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have introduced a bill that would end a tax subsidy for the marketing of food and beverages of poor nutritional quality to children. The “Stop Subsidizing Childhood Obesity Act” would also shift the money saved from eliminating the tax credit to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh…
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Children’s Consumption of Food Dyes Allegedly Increased Five-Fold Since 1950
A recent study has claimed that children consume more artificial food colors (AFCs) than previously thought, raising concerns about potential health effects not addressed by federal guidelines. Laura Stevens, et al., “Amounts of Artificial Food Dyes and Added Sugars in Foods and Sweets Commonly Consumed by Children,” Clinical Pediatrics, April 2014. In addition to reporting…
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ASA Dismisses Complaint Against Cereal Ads Shown in Cinema
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has dismissed a complaint alleging that a cereal advertisement shown at the beginning of a “U-rated” film “condoned or encouraged poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle in children” and “disparaged good dietary practice.” Although Kellogg Marketing and Sales Company (UK) Ltd. included on-screen text stating the sugar content of…
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CCFC and CAI Criticize USDA Proposal on Food Marketing in Schools
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and Corporate Accountability International (CAI) published an April 25, 2014, letter to U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA) School Programs Branch Chief Julie Brewer, criticizing a proposed rule that would require schools “to implement policies for the marketing of foods and beverages on the school campus during the school day…