The licensing plan dubbed "McKids" comes on the heels of McDonald's launch in September of its first-ever global advertising campaign, "I'm Lovin' It." The campaign is the company's first to tie worldwide television advertising to a unified theme. "The business potential for McKids is tremendous," Larry Light, the company's global chief marketing officer, said. "It will unify all our retail licensed products under one brand, with one brand look and one brand vision." (Not to mention one brand global childhood obesity and cultural destruction.)

And apparently, rumors of the fast food giant’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, as in recent months, McDonald's has seen its U.S. business turn around, with sales posting improvement for seven straight months.

Source: Reuters News, 11/13/03

When Less Cheese Really Means More

This news item, appearing in a dairy industry publication, explained that more tomato sauce as well as leaner meats would also contribute to the calorie reduction and that “while all this may sound a bit scary for the cheesemaker,” Pizza Hut offers this cheerful spin: “Our focus groups tell us that people who thought pizza couldn’t fit into their lifestyle are now reconsidering it because they have this lower fat option. So we think this will bring in new traffic to Pizza Hut, and could result in us using more cheese.”

So there you have it. Just when you think that food companies are “getting it,” they slip up and tell the truth: there is no such thing as selling less of anything that makes money. And anyway, fewer calories does not make it healthy.

Source: Dairy Foods Magazine, 11/01/03
http://www.dairyfoods.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/news/news_item/0,6782,113801,00.html

Dietary Guidelines Update: Déjà vu All Over Again

Review of the US Dietary Guidelines for 2005 is underway, amidst charges that certain members of the Advisory Committee cannot possibly make objective recommendations regarding the nation’s most important nutrition information. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine--the public interest group that charged conflicts of interest among the advisors back in 2000—found that more than half of the committee’s 13 members have extensive ties to the meat, dairy, sugar, processed food, egg, and supplement industries.

Most surprising, they say, is the appointment of Fergus M. Clydesdale, who has been both a stockholder and consultant for several large food companies and works closely with food industry-funded organizations, including the American Council on Science and Health, which is notorious for putting corporate interests before public health. Other committee members have financial connections to Procter & Gamble, the Cattleman’s Beef Association, the National Dairy Board, M&M Mars, the American Egg Board, and other large corporations and interest groups.

The next meeting of the advisory committee is schedule for January. Stay tuned to see how members’ potential conflicts impact their ultimate recommendations.

Warning to Parents: This Food Rated J for Junk

Connecticut Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Lieberman is seeking a federal investigation into the marketing practices of junk food companies. The politician who led the fight to put parental warnings on movie, video game, and music advertising, wants the Federal Trade Commission to determine if there is a connection between junk food advertising and the rise in obesity among youngsters.

“Parents today are being forced to contend with a new threat: big food companies targeting junk food at children,'' Lieberman said. “It's time to stand up to the companies that hype food to children and to stand up for an important principle--informed choices by people who can make informed decisions.'' As president, Lieberman would push to require junk food advertisements to include nutritional information that issues a warning to parents, much like movie ads are accompanied by parental ratings.

Warning labels may or may not be a great idea, but let’s see if any other presidential candidates are willing to take on Big Food as a campaign issue.

Source: Associated Press, New York Times, 12/04/03

New Serving Size: The Whole Box

In the government's latest attempt to stem the growing problem of obesity (or at least look good trying), the Food and Drug Administration is considering a change in food labels to spell out nutrition information for the entire package, not just for often misleadingly small serving sizes. While consumer groups applaud the move, industry reps are skeptical that any new requirement for entire package information would give enough benefit to consumers to justify the cost.

According to a presentation made by the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) to the FDA: "The Nutrition Facts panel and other label elements found on packaging provides consumers with an excellent source of nutrition information, including ample information to help them make healthful food choices. Then, in classic corporate double-speak, NFPA cautioned: “It is important to remember, however, that nutrition labeling is designed to provide consumers with information to make sound selections; labels cannot provide consumers with a full nutrition education.” So which is it, ample or insufficient information? 

Sources: Dow Jones Business News, 11/20/03
                 National Food Processors Association Press Release, 11/19/03

Canada Teen Gets Schools to Spill Soda Deals

A 15-year-old student has won a two-year legal battle to get Pepsi and Coke to reveal details of their exclusive soft drink contracts with Ontario public schools. After a legal fight that began when Nicholas Dodds was in eighth grade, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has ordered two of the largest school boards in the province to fully divulge their cola deals.

Only a handful of contracts in Canada between public schools and cola giants have ever been made public in their entirety, usually after long legal battles. For Nicholas Dodds, the issue is straightforward. "I thought that's not right,'" he said of the secret Pepsi deal with his school board. "Students are not in schools so that they can be used as a captive audience for Pepsi. They're not there to be marketed to.” Can Nicholas’ parents please send him to the US now?

Source: National Post, Canada, 11/12/03
(Distributed by Parents Advocating School Accountability, San Francisco: www.pasasf.org.)

Taking aim at Britain’s growing obesity crisis, supermarket giant Asda is planning to replace candy with fresh fruit at checkouts to help parents resist their children’s pestering for junk food. Britain's second largest supermarket chain will implement the plan in all 265 stores next year. In contrast, Britain’s largest chain, Tesco, denied their stores had a moral duty to help ease Britain's burgeoning child obesity crisis, saying that stores responded to what customers wanted and that obesity was a serious issue in which the consumer, not just supermarkets, played a part. Seems that so far, US counterpart companies would agree with this sentiment.

Source: The Guardian, 12/5/03

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