CERUCommercialism in Education Research Unit
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2005 - Non-CERU Publications/Writing
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» Point of View Essays
» Advocacy Groups
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» Popular Press
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» Point of View Essays
Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?
Date:
December 2005
Source:
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
This report explores what is known about current food and beverage marketing practices, the influence of
these practices on the diets and health of children and youth, and public and private strategies that can
be used to promote healthful food and beverage choices in children and youth.
PDF
To read or purchase the report, visit the Nation Academies website
Date:
September 2005
Authors:
S. Bryn Austin, ScD, Steven J. Melly, MS, Brisa N. Sanchez, ScM, Aarti Patel, BA, Stephen Buka, ScD and Steven L. Gortmaker, PhD
Institution:
Source:
American Journal of Public Health
Fast-food restaurants are concentrated within a short walking distance from schools, exposing children to
poor-quality food environments in their school neighborhoods.
To purchase the article, visit the American Journal of Public Health website.
Date:
February 28, 2005
Author:
John F. Banzhaf III
Institution:
George Washington University
Under pressure from the European Commission about the epidemic of obesity among children, a second
major food company has begun restricting its advertising directed towards children--especially with
regard to fattening foods.
Date:
January 28, 2005
Author:
John F. Banzhaf III
Institution:
George Washington University
Children who exercise every day will not begin to burn off the calories they consume with a typical
McDonald's meal.
For more information visit the Fast-Food Calorie Counter and the Exercise / Calorie Calculator
Date:
January 2005
Source:
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
The report provides a broad-based examination of the nature, extent, and consequences of obesity in
U.S. children and youth, including the social, environmental, and dietary factors responsible for its
increased prevalence. The report's action plan lays out explicit goals and recommendations for
preventing obesity and promoting healthy weight in children and youth in various segments of society.
To read or purchase the report, go to the National Academies Press website.
Out of Balance
Date:
September 2005
Source:
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network and Consumers Union
Consumers Union uses recently released data to highlight one of the key factors contributing to the obesity
epidemic: the unending barrage of food, beverage, and fast food advertising in the United States.
Date:
April 2005
Author:
Nicola Pinson
Source:
Community Health Partnership
This analysis of contracts between Oregon public school districts and soda companies
suggests that the value of these agreements are not what they appear to be. Most of
the money generated comes from students purchasing beverages, and a significant portion
of this revenue goes directly to soft drink companies, as opposed to schools.
Date:
March 24, 2005
Source:
Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC)
CCFC issued this press release about McDonald's latest plan to market junk food to children.
For more information, visit the CCFC Website.
Date:
March 15, 2005
Source:
Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC)
This CCFC statement of rights is a response to a statement made by the Alliance for American Advertisers
(a new lobbying group for major food companies and the advertising industry) "to defend the right to
advertise to children."
For more information, or to sign the statement, visit the CCFC Website.
Date:
February 2005
Source:
Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC)
This fact sheet provides an overview of marketing to children, sections on the marketing of different
products such as food, toys, and tobacco, and a resources section.
For more information, visit Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
Date:
January/February 2005
Authors:
Gary Ruskin and Juliet Schor
Source:
Multinational Monitor
The rise of commercialism is an artifact of the growth of corporate power. It has entered every aspect
of human life, including school, home, church, and government.
Date:
January 30, 2005
Source:
Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC)
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has selected Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to receive
the first annual Fred Rogers Integrity Award, given to the public figure whose efforts to protect children
from harmful marketing best embody Mr. Rogers' long-standing commitment to nurturing the health and
well-being of America's children.
Date:
January 26, 2005
Source:
Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC)
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is challenging the objectivity of the Institute of
Medicine's upcoming "Workshop on Marketing Strategies that Foster Healthy Food and Beverage Choices
in Children and Youth." The January 27, 2005 workshop will feature marketers from Kraft, General Mills,
Pepsico and McDonalds, as well as television and advertising executives, all of who have a vested interest
in marketing junk-food to children.
Childhood Obesity: Most Experts Identified Physical Activity and the Use of Best Practices as Key to Successful Programs
Date:
September 2005
Source:
U.S. Government Accountability Office
This GAO report (1) describes the key strategies identified by experts as most important
to include in programs to prevent or reduce childhood obesity; (2) provides examples of how
selected programs implemented the key strategies identified and challenges these programs faced;
(3) describes the program elements identified by experts as most important to include in programs
to prevent or reduce childhood obesity; and (4) provides examples of how selected programs implemented
key elements identified and the challenges these programs faced.
Date:
August 2005
Source:
Connecticut State Department of Education
This list contains online resources to assist schools with promoting healthy eating and physical
activity for children.
Date:
February 2005
Source:
Arizona Department of Education
The ADE conducted a pilot nutrition study in eight schools to determine if schools would lose revenue
when junk-food was replaced by healthy snacks.
Date:
January 12, 2005
Source:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The sixth edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans places stronger emphasis on reducing calorie consumption
and increasing physical activity.
For more information, visit Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Lines Are Drawn for Big Suit Over Sodas
Date:
December 7, 2005
Author:
Melanie Warner
Source:
New York Times
In a lawsuit they plan to file in the next few months, Mr. Gardner–staff lawyer for
the Center for Science in the Public Interest–and half a dozen other lawyers, several
of them veterans of successful tobacco litigation, will seek to ban sales of sugary
beverages in schools.
Date:
December 6, 2005
Author:
Caroline E. Mayer
Source:
Washington Post
Advertising junk food on television has enticed children into eating massive amounts of unhealthy
food, leading to a sharp increase in obesity and diabetes, according to a report by the Institute
of Medicine.
Date:
December 2, 2005
Author:
Associated Press
Source:
CNN.com
In a recently released report, the American Beverage Association says that the amount
of non-diet soft drinks sold in the nation's schools dropped more than 24 percent between
2002 and 2004.
Date:
October 30, 2005
Author:
Michael Blanding
Source:
The Boston Globe
Across the country, the 10 largest school systems – including Boston Public Schools
last year – have banned soda sales in schools. In this new campaign against Big Macs
and Big Gulps, a veteran of the tobacco wars is leading the charge against what he calls
Big Soda.
Date:
October 13, 2005
Author:
Caroline Wilbert
Source:
Cox News Service
The beverage industry is getting ready to spend millions of dollars on an ad campaign to
publicize its new policy restricting soft drink sales in school vending machines.
Date:
October 5, 2005
Authors:
J.J. Hensley and Anne Ryman
Source:
The Arizona Republic
The ink isn't dry on the state's proposed healthy-food standards for public elementary
and middle schools, and groups are already picking sides in the anticipated fight over a
similar policy for high schools.
Date:
October 3, 2005
Author:
Janice Billingsley
Source:
HealthDay News
The number and frequency of American children eating restaurant-served fried foods are climbing at an
alarming rate, according to a new study of more than 14,000 adolescents.
Date:
October 2, 2005
Author:
Lorne Manly
Source:
The New York Times
No longer are brands mere props on the set or the supporting stars of reality shows. Advertisers and
their representatives are increasingly working with a show's writers and producers and the network's
ad sales staff to incorporate products into the story lines of scripted shows as part of more elaborate
marketing deals.
Date:
August 26, 2005
Author:
Ross Getman
Source:
The Buffalo News
In this op-ed by Syracuse parent Ross Getman, he says that "it is time for parents, nutritionists and medical
doctors and dentists to ... encourage schools and soda companies to pull soda out of public schools entirely."
Date:
August 18, 2005
Authors:
Bloomberg News
Source:
The New York Times
The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Cadbury Schweppes will extend their ban on soft drink sales to include
United States middle schools, ceding to pressure from health advocates and parents to reduce obesity in children.
Date:
June 12, 2005
Author:
Melanie Warner
Source:
The New York Times
Rick Berman, a prominent Washington lobbyist, has become the face of the food industry as it tries to
beat back regulations and discourage consumer lawsuits. He runs the Center for Consumer Freedom, a
nonprofit advocacy group that is financed by the food and restaurant industries.
Date:
May 2, 2005
Author:
Melanie Warner
Source:
The New York Times
For the last 28 years, Dr. Dean Ornish has been trying to persuade people to eat healthier. Among his
advice to patients is to eat a lot of vegetables and minimally processed foods, and avoid all things
greasy. Dr. Ornish also works for the McDonald's Corporation as a paid consultant.
Date:
April 15, 2005
Author:
Anne Ryman
Source:
The Arizona Republic
Starting next year, Arizona's elementary and middle school students could be eating healthier. A bill
expected to land on the governor's desk shortly would ban the sales of soft drinks, candy and gum during
the school day beginning in July 2006.
Date:
April 9, 2005
Author:
Kate Zernike
Source:
The New York Times
People may have laughed 16 months ago when obese teenagers unsuccessfully sued McDonald's, saying its
food made them fat. But a well-honed army of familiar lawyers who waged war against the tobacco companies
for decades and won megamillion-dollar settlements is preparing a new wave of food fights, and no one is
laughing.
Date:
March 30, 2005
Author:
Polly Curtis
Source:
The Guardian
The government today promised £220m to bring the minimum spent on school dinners to 50p. The education
secretary, Ruth Kelly, also promised to reintroduce guidelines on nutritional standards in school meals
for the first time in 20 years.
Date:
March 29, 2005
Author:
Jane E. Brody
Source:
The New York Times
It's surprising that Americans still don't have a national initiative to control what is fast emerging
as the most serious and costly health problem in America: excess weight. Are our schools, our parents,
our national leaders blind to what is happening – a health crisis that looms even larger than our
former and current smoking habits?
Date:
March 28, 2005
Author:
Susan Davis
Source:
In These Times
The "Disney Hand," as the corporate office is called, is devoted to extending Disney into every crevice
of life, branding the company by creating emotional relationships with consumers. And our floundering,
underfunded, overstressed public schools and their captive audiences provide the perfect gateway.
Date:
March 24, 2005
Author:
Felicity Lawrence
Source:
The Guardian
Seventy-five percent of primary schools in England are spending less than 50p on food for a school meal.
Schools at the bottom of a new school meal league table, compiled by the Soil Association and published
by the Guardian today, have less than 40p allocated to ingredients for dinners, while those at the top get
up to 70p.
Date:
March 24, 2005
Author:
Felicity Lawrence
Source:
The Guardian
English primary schools spend 37p to 70p on the ingredients for school meals, with most spending less
than 50p.
Date:
March 22, 2005
Author:
Patrick Wintour
Source:
The Guardian
Providing school meals on 37p a day was tough, the education secretary Ruth Kelly admitted, as she
promised reforms, but so far no extra cash, to improve their quality.
Date:
March 21, 2005
Author:
Matthew Tempest
Source:
The Guardian
In an effort to protect children, the British government introduced a
"mini-manifesto" which pledges to improve
school dinners and create minimum standards for the amount of fat, sugar, and salt in them.
Date:
March 14, 2005
Author:
Claire Atkinson
Source:
Advertising Age
Its equipment is badly in need of an upgrade, advertisers are leaving, critics are declaring they want
to put it out of business, and the top executive, one of the founders, is leaving.
Date:
March 5, 2005
Author:
Melvin Konner
Institution:
Emory University
Source:
American Prospect
American kids and adults are relentlessly growing fatter and, consequently, sicker, but the disaster is
not just the product of individual appetites; powerful institutions, private and public, are partly
responsible for creating and worsening the problem.
Date:
February 26, 2005
Author:
William L. Bainbridge
Source:
Columbus Dispatch
A panel headed by former U.S.
Surgeon General David Satcher recently released the report,
"The Learning Connection: The Value of
Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity in our Schools." Panel members examined root causes of
childhood obesity and determined there is a "strong link between nutrition, physical activity and
academic success." According to the report, "improving children's health likely improves school
performance. It may even help (financially) on the schools' bottom line."
Date:
February 2, 2005
Author:
Anne Ryman
Source:
The Arizona Republic
Schools that made healthy changes to their snack bars and vending machines during a
five-month state study saw
"no negative financial impacts."
Date:
January 28, 2005
Author:
Anne Ryman
Source:
The Arizona Republic
Arizona students will no longer be able to buy soft drinks and candy during the school day if a bill
(HB2544) introduced by Rep. Mark Anderson
(R-Mesa) becomes law.
Date:
January 28, 2005
Author:
Caroline E. Mayer
Source:
Washington Post
McDonald's Corp., known for its Big Macs and fries, is sending its flame-headed mascot, Ronald McDonald,
into elementary schools to push fitness – part of a corporate campaign to address the childhood obesity
issue.
Date:
January 25, 2005
Author:
Tom Becker
Source:
Bloomberg.com
McDonald's Corp., the world's largest fast-food chain, must face a suit by New York teenagers who claim
the company hid the health risks of Chicken McNuggets and other foods and made them obese, an appeals
court ruled.
Using Legal Action to Help Fight ObesityDate:
January 14, 2005
Author:
Leigh Strope
Source:
Associated Press
The vending machine industry, taking heavy criticism as kids and other Americans get fatter, is
launching an anti-obesity marketing campaign to improve its image and fend off efforts to remove
machines from schools.
Measuring the Purchases of Soft Drinks by Students in U.S. Schools
Date:
December 2005
Author:
Robert F. Wescott
Source:
American Beverage Association
This study provides an analysis of the sales of beverages in America's schools, including carbonated soft
drinks (CSDs), juices, sports drinks, teas, milks, and waters.
Date:
October 2005
Author:
Scott Elliott
Source:
Education Writers Association
This guide for education reporters covers four areas of privatization: charter schools,
vouchers, for-profit education management organizations, and supplemental education services.
Date:
August 16, 2005
Source:
American Beverage Association
The American Beverage Association (ABA), announced that the association's Board of Directors has approved a
new school vending policy aimed at
providing lower-calorie and/or nutritious beverages to schools and limiting the availability of soft
drinks in schools.
Date:
March 2005
Author:
Karen McNulty Walsh
Source:
PQ Media
This first-ever report on the size and structure of the product placement market found that $3.46 billion
were spent on product placements in 2004. Only the executive summary is available here.
For more information or to buy the report, visit the PQ Media website.
Inspiration, Perspiration, and Time: Operations and Achievement in Edison Schools
Date:
October 2005
Authors:
Brian P. Gill, Laura S. Hamilton, J.R. Lockwood, Julie A. Marsh, Ron W. Zimmer, Deanna Hill, Shana Pribesh
Source:
RAND Corporation
This RAND evaluation of Edison Schools, Inc. addresses the following questions:
What are Edison's strategies for promoting student achievement in the schools it
manages? How are Edison's strategies implemented in the schools it manages? How
does Edison's management of schools affect student achievement?
On Soda and Heroes
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