BRIEF NEWS FROM BIG FOOD

Uncle Sam Teams Up with Ronald McDonald

In another example of “public-private partnerships” brokered by the federal government,  McDonald’s is in talks with the U.S. Department of Interior about ways it might encourage greater use of national parks, trails, and other public lands and waterways for recreational activity and physical exercise. “We'll be very active promoting to young people the importance of physical activity and food choices and a balanced lifestyle," McDonald’s U.S. President Mike Roberts said. For example, Happy Meal containers are being designed with ideas on how to exercise. Tray liners will feature a "get moving with Ronald McDonald" theme, with advice to children such as: Cut down on watching TV and playing computer games. Instead, "do inside chores like vacuuming, dusting or emptying the garbage." Kids will be encouraged to take at least 10,000 steps a day – recorded by a McDonald’s pedometer. Suggestions for how to rack up those steps include: "Get up and walk around during commercial breaks while you're watching TV."

Source: Dow Jones Newswires, 05/26/04

Kraft Reneges on Promise to Cut Portion Sizes

Less than a year after Kraft Foods vowed to reduce portion sizes in the name of public health, the company now says it will change nutrition labeling instead, and that policy will only be for smaller packages. Citing research indicating that consumers wanted a broader range of choices, Kraft Chief Executive Roger Deromedi said the company’s “ongoing actions are part of a broader societal response to growing health and wellness concerns." Kraft claims to have "reduced the fat content, and made other changes” to about 5 percent of its North American product volume. However, Kraft declined to provide a full product list with details of the changes.

Source: Chicago Tribune, 06/02/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0406020283jun02,1,4655050.story

Does Reducing Sugar Make it Cereal?

With much fanfare, Kellogg's has launched reduced-sugar versions of two of its most popular brands, Frosted Flakes (from 3 teaspoons down to 2 per serving) and Fruit Loops (from 3 ¾ down to 2 ½ ). The full-sugar versions still remain on the shelves, and at a lower price that the reduced-sugar options. Whether Kellogg's will make similar changes in other varieties will depend on how consumers take to the first two, said spokeswoman Jenny Enochson.  "We're excited about it. We believe the time is right. We have been testing this concept for some time. The consumer response in the past was not positive, but has turned upward more recently," she said.

Source: Seattle Times, 05/26/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/food/2001938457_cereal26.html

New USDA Staffers Enter Through Revolving Door

Last month, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced the selection of Michael Torrey as Deputy Chief of Staff. Prior to joining USDA, Torrey served as Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the International Dairy Foods Association, in addition to positions at the Kansas Grain and Feed Association and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Veneman also named Alisa Harrison as Director of Communications. Previously, Harrison served as the Executive Director of Public Relations for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association where she managed all media and public relations activities to support consumer marketing and public policy goals.

Source: USDA Press Release, 06/21/04
http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0250.04.html

FIGHTING BACK: POLICY GAINS AND OTHER GOOD NEWS

The February 2004 issue of Informed Eating reported that KFC had plans to expand into Tibet. We are now happy to report that these plans have been shelved, at least for now. Citing excess costs, the fried chicken kings’ decision came after the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader and a vegetarian for almost 40 years, had appealed to KFC in May not to expand into the region. The company also faced opposition from groups that protest against Chinese control of Tibet. "Maybe someday it will be less costly and we'll continue to explore this option at that time," corporate spokesman Jonathan Blum said.

Source: Reuters, 06/25/04
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040625/food_kfc_tibet_3.html

Two years after a group of Philadelphia area residents began complaining about high-sugar soft drinks and snack foods in cafeterias and vending machines, the school board voted to ban all sales of sodas to students during the school day. The vote was 7-1. As for those concerned with limiting options, parent Matthew Cabrey said: "We're not looking to limit choice; you can bring your sodas to schools. The issue is the appropriateness of providing sodas to our school community that potentially compromises the health of our students."

Meanwhile, Tennessee passed a law allowing the state education board to set nutritional standards for food sold in vending machines in schools from pre-kindergarten to the eighth grade. And in New York, a statewide bill that would ban schools from selling food that fails to meet minimal nutritional guidelines overwhelmingly passed the Assembly by a vote of 139-5.

Sources: Philadelphia Inquirer, 06/11/04; Associated Press, 05/24/04; New York Times, 06/02/04

Feds Tell Schools to Adopt Wellness Policies

On June 30, the much-debated Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 was signed into law. Among the hard-won provisions includes a requirement that all schools participating in federal meal programs develop a local wellness policy by the summer of 2006. These policies should include goals for nutrition education, physical activity, nutrition guidelines for all foods sold on school campus during the school day, and a plan for measuring implementation. Commercial Alert calls the new law “a great opportunity to reduce junk food marketing and sales in schools across the country.”

In an even more far-ranging measure, on June 23 Senator Tom Harkin proposed legislation that would, among other bold public health provisions, give the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to restrict the sale of junk food in schools and prohibit advertising of food in schools participating in the federal meal programs. To tell your senators you support this bill, visit Commercial Alert’s Take Action page.

Source: www.commercialalert.org

IN MY OPINION by Michele Simon

When I started putting together this month’s issue, I intended to focus just on the good news. But then I saw several other stories too important to ignore, realizing that they all fall under the heading of public relations and corporate spin. Some may argue that it’s a good thing to have McDonald’s promoting physical activity, since their marketing machine can help get this important message out. Similarly, some of my colleagues have applauded the efforts of major food companies such as Kraft and Kellogg’s for examining its products and attempting to make improvements, however minor. “It’s a step in the right direction,” they will say. To which I reply, “Toward what exactly?” It’s quite questionable whether it’s any healthier for kids to eat slightly less sugary, but still nutritionally-deficient “cereals.”

To applaud a company for making such a lame “reform” too easily rewards them with the positive public relations spin they seek. In the case of McDonald’s, promoting physical activity is an obvious strategy designed to deflect attention away from eating too much of their unhealthy food. It also keeps the locus of change on the individual, and not on government action and real industry reform. The major U.S. food companies are feeling the heat of the growing public debate around poor eating habits, and their responses are designed to maintain tight control over the dialogue while they position themselves as responsible corporate citizens. It’s up to advocates to ensure the debate remains focused squarely on policy solutions and not just individual behaviors, and especially not to be fooled by public relations moves disguised as reforms, such as 2 teaspoons of sugar per serving instead of 3.

Informed Reading

Susan Linn, a psychiatry instructor at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of the coalition, Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children, has just published Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood (The New Press). Through first-hand experience, exhaustive research, and passionate writing, Linn explains how children’s everyday lives are exploited by industries ranging from food to toys to professional wrestling. She explains how parental authority is undermined by the “nag factor” and other marketing strategies designed to get kids to want to buy everything they never needed. Consuming Kids is a must-read for all parents and anybody who cares about children.

Seeking Local Stories of Battling Big Food

CIFC is currently gathering stories at the state and local levels where the food industry is attempting to block nutrition advocacy efforts. Many states, cities, and counties around the country are trying to pass nutrition-related legislation (e.g., limiting junk food in schools or imposing soda taxes), but the food industry is lobbying hard to either stop or curtail these efforts. If you know about any specific fights, we want to hear about them. We are also interested in stories related to soda contracts in schools. Please contact Michele Simon at: Michele@informedeating.org or (510) 465-0322. Please send this message to others. Thank you!

Upcoming Events

CIFC’s Michele Simon will be speaking on state legislation at the California Nutrition Network for Healthy, Active Families Social Marketing Conference, on August 4-5, in Sacramento. For more information, visit: http://www.cce.csus.edu/cts/smc/.

A "Symposium on Policy Reforms to Address Food Marketing to Children" will
be held on August 12 (9am-12pm), in Sacramento. Speakers include Eric
Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation) and Susan Linn (author of Consuming
Kids: the Hostile Takeover of Childhood). To register for this free event,
please contact HG@PublicHealthAdvocacy.org.

CIFC's Michele Simon will speak on state legislation and food industry lobbying at the Second Annual Conference on Legal Approaches to the Obesity Epidemic, on September 17-19, 2004, at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. For more information, visit: http://www.phaionline.org/Conference2004.html.

Michele Simon is available for lectures and workshops in your community and can speak on a variety of food policy topics. For more information, visit: http://www.informedeating.org/lectures.html.

The Center for Informed Food Choices in a nonprofit organization that advocates for a whole foods, plant-based diet and educates about the politics of food.

CIFC is proud to make Informed Eating available as a free public service. Unlike industry publications, it is not underwritten by corporate sponsors. We would greatly appreciate your support for this newsletter and our other important policy work. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.informedeating.org or call (510) 465-0322.

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2004 Informed Eating  -  All Rights Reserved