Ed. Note: This is adapted from the Let's Move! blog. You can see the original post here.
From the State Dining Room of the White House yesterday, the First Lady addressed a diverse cross section of leaders from food and media industry executives, advocates, parent leaders, government agency representatives and researchers about the power of marketing in influencing kids’ food choices and the need for leveraging this power toward healthier food options for our nation’s children. The goal of the convening was to begin a constructive, collaborative dialogue and strategize about ways to shift the marketing of unhealthy products to healthier products and decrease the marketing of unhealthy products to kids.
First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks during a “Let’s Move!” food marketing convening in the State Dining Room of the White House, Sept. 18, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
When the average child is now spending nearly eight hours a day in front of some kind of screen, many of their opinions and preferences are being shaped by the marketing campaigns you all create. And that’s where the problem comes in.
And I’m here today with one simple request — and that is to do even more and move even faster to market responsibly to our kids.
Mrs. Obama praised companies such as Disney and Birds Eye Vegetables for their success in utilizing marketing to encourage healthier food choices in our kids. However, children are still being exposed to thousands of food ads each year for products loaded with sugar, fat, and salt.
Fonte: White House