The federal government wants food companies to change the way they market their products in light of increasing obesity rates among children. A report issued this week by the Federal Trade Commission
and the Department of Health and Human Services urges food marketers to develop more nutritious products and to "review and revise" its marketing practices. However, the report goes a step further in
recommending that the Children's Advertising Review Unit, which was set up as a self-regulatory unit by the industry, consider creating minimum nutrition standards for foods advertised to children.
The report got mixed reviews from interest groups. A spokesman for the Center for Science in the Public Interest said it was a step in the right direction, but Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat and
a vocal critic of junk-food marketing to children, said it did not go far enough. "I am disappointed that the report makes only recommendations, without imposing any requirements on an industry
largely out of control," Harkin said. "If industry fails at the task of self-regulation, stronger government action will be necessary." The Grocery Manufacturers Association, a lobbying group that
represents packaged food manufacturers, said that the food industry had already undertaken "initiatives to help families improve their health and wellness."
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