White House Task Force Seeks Fight on Childhood Obesity

[bonnie]

1, 2010 10:02 AM

White House Task Force Seeks Fight on Childhood Obesity

Posted by Peter Maer 36 comments

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. President Obama ordered the comprehensive review of the issue.

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

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.

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.

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

In a proposal that's sure to be popular with children, the panel says schools should promote recess for younger students and "physical activity breaks" for upper level grades.

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.

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.

[SivartM]

Cool. :D

[karl]

Obesity cannot possibly be the fault of the individual consumer or his parents. It must be a societal problem. These evil food manufacturers are FORCING these kids to buy and eat their products. NUKE NABISCO!!!!

[bonnie]

Obesity cannot possibly be the fault of the individual consumer or his parents. It must be a societal problem. These evil food manufacturers are FORCING these kids to buy and eat their products. NUKE NABISCO!!!!

That type of reasoning is to be expected from a cold hearted conservative.

It cannot be the failure of parents. You have all that advertising and children that demand what they see advertised.

You do not want to be negative and tell them no. Removing the problem of television and the internet if abused is just plain cruel.

We have a perfect example of cold hearted conservatism within a few houses of mine

Those parents that cruelly control their children have three boys that spend most of their off school time outdoors. These boys are all slim and full of energy.

The parents of the other children can't figure out why their children have such a weight problem. The problem exceeds a little plump and two out of four children are morbidly obese.

The third child is about 40 lbs overweight and rapidly gaining on her sisters.

I have been behind both in the grocery store.No mystery.

But one will find anything or anyone to blame.

I bet they are very relieved to find this another area the government will take care of them and lead them out of this mysterious obesity problem.

What a pathetic population America has become,

[SivartM]

When the government brutally forced innocent food companies to list trans fat on nutrition facts labels, I almost cried.

And for the government to make government-funded schools serve healthy food and let kids play outside more? That's just terrible. What is this country coming to?

[bonnie]

When the government brutally forced innocent food companies to list trans fat on nutrition facts labels, I almost cried.

[SivartM]

Don't sob to long.It was only directed at those parents that either were to lax or didn't care what their children were eating. Just one little step towards ultimate control

Because people ought to know things that the food companies don't tell them. Like how much trans fat is in a certain food.

[bonnie]

When the government brutally forced innocent food companies to list trans fat on nutrition facts labels, I almost cried.

And for the government to make government-funded schools serve healthy food and let kids play outside more? That's just terrible. What is this country coming to?

I have a friend that is a cook at the school here. Vegetables and healthy are thrown in the trash. Many of the children bring lunchables for lunch. This completely unhealthy lunch is purchased by the parents because their children rule the home and they don't know what the word no means.

Unless it begins in the home it doesn't work very well

[Dr. Shane]

Wow!!! This Administration really cares about us. If they keep this up I might just have to vote for Obama again. Let's pray that he gets the economy turned around so we can sing happy times are here again.

[bonnie]

Originally Posted By: bonnie

Don't sob to long.It was only directed at those parents that either were to lax or didn't care what their children were eating. Just one little step towards ultimate control

Because people ought to know things that the food companies don't tell them. Like how much trans fat is in a certain food.

People can choose to claim ignorance or they can choose to educate themselves.

I do not need Obama to tell me about trans fats. I made it my business to know what was good for my children.

If the desire is for processed convenience food and blame the food industry,they are looking for someone to blame for their failure.

[SivartM]

Actually, I think the trans fat thing happened during the Bush administration.

And I definitely doubt that you'd be as aware of nutrition without government-regulated nutrition labels. Without them nobody would know the difference between granola with a twenty grams of sugar and granola with five grams of sugar, because food companies would not have to share any of that information. You can't say people are just stupid and then complain about them being educated about nutrition.

[bonnie]

Actually, I think the trans fat thing happened during the Bush administration.

And I definitely doubt that you'd be as aware of nutrition without government-regulated nutrition labels. Without them nobody would know the difference between granola with a twenty grams of sugar and granola with five grams of sugar, because food companies would not have to share any of that information. You can't say people are just stupid and then complain about them being educated about nutrition.

I would care whether it was Bush or Obama administration WHY????

My children were born early to mid 60's. Long before the government wanted to become my babysitter.

I wanted the best for my kids and having them healthy was a priority.

The ingredients of a product should be listed.That is far different than what is going on now.No,it isn't me that thinks the people of the US are stupid.That comes from those that want the government to monitor what we feed our children and what they may see as an advertising.

In this day and age,people can educate themselves on just about any subject,TV and the internet has a wealth of information if they care enough to do the work.

I think many are lazy and uninterested

[SivartM]

Because you were complaining about Obama in the same sentence. But no, I don't know why.

Yes, people can educate themselves. That Obama and his public school system... what a waste! The kids don't even eat vegetables (actually, there was a study done recently that said that many kids WILL eat healthy food if it's given to them)!

[bonnie]

Because you were complaining about Obama in the same sentence. But no, I don't know why.

Yes, people can educate themselves. That Obama and his public school system... what a waste! The kids don't even eat vegetables (actually, there was a study done recently that said that many kids WILL eat healthy food if it's given to them)!

I don't worship at the altar of any politician.What Bush did is pretty much over.There were many things Bush did I disliked and opposed. Obama has taken anything that people complained about Bush over and double downed on it

Try a carrot stick VS a potato chip or ice cream.

When a administration wants to go so far as to control the advertising of a legal product,products that parents willingly buy, it has gone a tad to far.

Most parents will generally understand that ice cream is not as healthy as vegetables.

Unless the parents teach and re-enforce good healthy eating habits the prohibiting of advertising will have little impact. Of course they maybe eventually prohibited from producing a product.