Kids' Food Hardly Friendly

news you may not knowDefinitely Off Limits...

There are certain things in this life that should be beyond the reach of marketers. Sure, marketers have their place. How else will we figure out we really can't make a peanut butter sandwich without a special peanut butter spreading instrument? Seems the old knife we've been using bruises the delicate peanut butter, leaving us with less than an optimal PBJ. Who knew?

But, there are limits - and there should be rules.

Rule #1: Kids are off limits.

Rule #2: If you break Rule #1, at least tell the truth.

Rule #3: If you break both Rule #1 and Rule #2 you should be flogged in the public square.

Researchers from the University of Calgary recently found the rules are a shambles. Marketers promoting foods that target kids routinely make false claims. In all, an amazing 89 percent of poor quality foods instead claimed they were healthy.

So, what did the foods claiming healthy properties actually provide kids? Well, the big winner was sugar. Close to 70 percent of the foods derived the majority of their calories from the white menace. The other major offenders were fat and sodium. On the semi-bright side, 11 percent of the foods lived up to their claims and actually provided valuable nutrition.

"We included food products and packaging that were presented in such a way that children were the clear target audience," explained Charlene Elliott, a University of Calgary professor.

...Let the flogging commence.

To read more about the study, see this from Reuters. To read more about healthy nutrition for kids, see this from KeepKidsHealthy.com.