newjerseynewsroom.com

Would limit marketing of non-nutritious products

BY JOE TYRRELL

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Pending federal standards would sharply limit the marketing of sugary foods to children, a step that could reshape ad campaigns for some cereals, fruit drinks, snacks and other non-nutritious products.

The proposed policy changes were first reported by BNET, which described them as "junk food armageddon." Prepared by four federal agencies, the specific new standards follow years of efforts to improve child nutrition in the United States despite a flood of junk foods.

The proposals were developed last year by the Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and, reluctantly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

They are based on the usual serving sizes of products, known as "reference amount customarily consumed" in the 2006 Nutritional Labeling and Education Act.

To be marketed to children ages 2-17, "food" products would have to contain a certain amount of actual food per RACC:

* a half cup fruit or fruit juice

* three-fifths cup vegetables or vegetable juice

* three-quarters of a cup of 100 percent whole-grain, with no added sweeteners or adulterants

* three-quarters of a cup milk or yogurt, which may be flavored; one ounce natural cheese, 1.5 ounces processed cheese

* 1.4 ounces "meat equivalent" of extra lean meat, fish or poultry

* three-tenths of a cup cooked dried beans

* 0.7 ounce nuts or seeds

* one egg or egg equivalent

Even more threatening for some food marketers, the standards would require that their products marketed to children must not contain more than the following amounts of potentially harmful ingredients per RACC:

* one gram or less of saturated fat and not more than 15 percent of calories

* less than a half gram of trans fat, which is considered to meet the goal of none

* no more than 13 grams of added sugars

* no more than 200 mg. of sodium

The standards would not have the force of law, but it would be difficult for major food companies to flout them. Probably not impossible, however, as the FTC tacitly acknowledged.

Last month, the commission blasted Kellogg's for making "dubious" claims that eating Rice Krispies "helps support your child's immunities." The agency noted the new advertising campaign followed the company's agreement to stop claiming that Frosted Mini Wheats improve children's attentiveness.

FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz connected the dots between those cases and the proposed standards.

"Kellogg needs to stop and think twice about the claims it's making before rolling out a new ad campaign, so parents can make the best choices for their children," he said.

But given the influence of the food producers' lobby, it is unclear how soon the new standards will take effect. FTC officials presented them at a forum in December. But the USDA, which regularly backs food producers' efforts to avoid oversight, has not yet signed off.

Joe Tyrrell may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it