Healthier Junk Food Ads

On November 14, 2006, the advertising and food industries announced a decision that they believe will greatly affect the amount of junk food advertising that is directed towards children. Immediately, critics stated that they question the amount of impact, if any, their decision will have on advertising. The announcement came as a result of numerous criticisms from concerned parents, politicians, and consumer advocates, who worry about the amount of foods marketed towards children. As a result, ten of the largest food and beverage manufacturers vowed to make at least half of their advertising directed towards children under age twelve contain messages that encourage healthy lifestyles. Some of the companies to make the promise included McDonald's, General Mills, and Coca-Cola. In addition, these companies agreed to not advertise their food or beverages in elementary schools, but to promote nutritious foods through healthy messages and interactive games and reduce the use of licensed characters in junk food ads.

Still, food and beverage excutives who participated in the conference found themselves hard pressed to discover specific changes that would result from the new guidelines. Nutrition experts found the proposals to be full of loopholes, believing that new laws, rather than self-regulation, would be more effective. For instance, these so-called "healthy ads" could include ones for sugar-coated cereal, since it meets the industy's and the FDA's definition of "healthy", which does not account for sugar.