News

[Article Summarized by Meridian Institute]  Mark Bittman, writing in The New York Times, takes issue with the Federal Trade Commission’s recently released food marketing guidelines.  The FTC and other government agencies called on Big Food to refrain from marketing to children foods with more than 15 percent saturated fat, 210 milligrams of sodium, or 13 grams of added sugar per serving, or any trans fat.  Bittman says: “But instead of announcing, ‘We have guidelines you must follow, and we’ll give you until January 2012 to comply,’ the F.T.C. said, in effect, ‘We have voluntary guidelines we hope you’ll follow — they’re voluntary, you understand — and in five years we’d like you to voluntarily comply with these voluntary guidelines.’”  Bittman says legal action is what we need, not voluntary guidelines.  While the agencies involved deserve credit for acknowledging marketing’s impact, they are mandating nothing, only requesting compliance from an industry that pushes ultra-processed, unhealthful junk.  “These concoctions are the poster children for what’s wrong with American food,” says Bittman, “and in turn our diet, and about Big Food’s marketing strategies and power, which harm our diet, weight, health and budget.”  Food marketing needs to be reined in, he says, and he finds it impossible to believe that Big Food is going to voluntarily refrain from marketing to anyone, let alone the children and adolescents that make up the largest segment of its market.  Some industry members claim to be addressing the problem, by creating smaller portion sizes and “healthier” versions of junk food.  But, Bittman says, “no one in industry is interested in regulation; we may hear griping about the voluntary guidelines, but there must be a collective sigh of relief at what appears to be a brokered deal that gives the industry a five-year break-in period before … before what? Before either something else happens — like an even more business-friendly government — or the voluntary “regulations” take effect. And nothing happens. In the meantime, keep feeding the kids those Snickers.  Or maybe it’s time for some of those lawsuits.”