Can Disney Fight Obesity by Banning Junk Food Ads?

instead of watching disney shows all day,they could go outside

it's the parents' decision what their children eat, not disney's

Disney will create the illusion they are self regulating to preempt any actual regulation. The new foods they push with their characters will likely be just as unhealthy but no one will know because people are so ignorant about nutrition these days. What they did in the US is make the portions smaller and raised the prices. Smack some fancy new labels on it that encourage exercise and what you are left with is a diabetes epidemic for the public and a gold mine for disney and its partners.

The only way to ban obesity is for the obese individual to push away from the table. How can people believe the BS that the government can and should do every thing.

A average child will spend on tv or computer more then a hour a day, and kids follow there hero's yes? or follow what they see on tv, but in the end its the parents choice. but kudos to Disney for trying to make a difference.

It's not going to have a great effect if it's only one of the media conglomerates doing it, but advertising has a tremendous effect upon us, so it has the potential to have some impact at least.

Bad idea and it hurts Dismey

Go to one of their parks and lok at the junk food they sell.

and I doubt Coke, will change thier polices because I don't drink it but I do it because I will not contribute to the problem

(more)

Most if not all Disney food contains medicine drugs, injected into pork/beef pigs/cows and that goes into meat, as well as preservatives in fries, etc. also contain chemicals which are like meds (see more photos in my first message-just click on the link there which says "more")

why not

Does Disney think they're so good that kids don't watch other stations? Question is is Disney trying to sexualize our kids before they're ready!!! Take a gander at some of the shows they air, the girls dress like little high class hookers in a lot of them, and all the boyfriend-girlfirend, I've got a crush on this guy or that girl, it just seems to me we've got out kids thinking about romance when they should still be playing with GI Joe and Barbie dolls.

No matter how much the kid whines, it's the parents who do the shopping. Parents are the ones feeding their kids junk food, and letting their kids watch television all day; it's their job to make sure their kid is healthy. What Disney does may help a little, but the way people are "combating obesity" are beginning to annoy me. Yes, it's a problem. Yes, it needs to be dealt with. But it's beginning to feel a bit forceful on us, and that doesn't help with people's self-image when not only the media, but the government is trying to make everyone lose weight.

(To be honest, my problem with the issue started when Ontario stopped letting schools provide anything that doesn't "meet their nutritional standards"... now the cafeteria food tastes like crap, teachers have to bring in vegetable trays if a class has a potluck, and they have to sell vegetarian hot dogs at the BBQ. And, somehow, the cafeteria still sells fries, cookies that taste like mayonnaise and marshmallows, burgers, chocolate milk, brownies, "healthier alternative" chips... I'll admit, the chicken is better, though.)

But they can go broke. They managed to tick off two of the food giants-Coke which makes Capri Sun and Kraft which makes Lunchables. By calling them out, the entertainment giant set themselves up for a wave of contract cancellations. Unless a product is immoral or illegal they have a right to advertise. Does Disney really think those advertising dollars won't go to say, Nickolodean or other networks?

it won't stop it but it's a start

Its a Great start. Good for you Disney.

As with almost every ban ever created, PROHIBITION DOESN'T WORK!! The real way to fight obesity is to change the way people think about food. Food is fuel. If we think of it that way, if we consume that way, the media will adjust and advertise that way. But the bigger picture is that this is NOT an issue politicians, media or government can or should attempt to control. This is an individual choice, parenting problem and societal norm issue. How we think will only change by the individual changing which then extends to children, friends, spouses, companies, communities and so on. Laissez Faire!! This one principle should rule our society on most levels. Period. Full stop.

They haven't a snowball's chance in Hades unless we see Mickey on a treadmill.

LOLOLOL !

Good point, I reckon ;0 )

Out of sight, out of mind ~

In most cases that is, anyway...

Good for them for 'quality control'

related to thier image, and concerns

for the sake and well being of children,

as well as adults, aka, kids at heart, alike...

I'm guessing they are also taking measures,

within thier theme parks as well ? Or are they ?

it can help. But as was stated it is the parents responsibility.

Look corporate evil is making an attempt at improving their image I am all for it; if it helps to cut down on kids craving the stuff then great.

There should have been a "Maybe" answer. Disney's actions may *contribute* to the fight against unhealthy eating but it won't effect any change if their ban stands in a vacuum. Ultimately, it will depend upon whether parents start exercising good judgement in what they feed their children, the activity levels they encourage in their children, etc. If parents continue to neglect their children's health, then what Disney is doing will have no value.

Since most children ask for unhealthy foods they see in commercials banning them from a children's channel sounds like a huge step in the right direction. And what harm can come from commercials featuring healthy alternatives to the over sugared mess that some commercials push for children. My grandsons eat very healthy foods while at my house and have been taught how to read the 'nutrition facts' on the packages of food. I hope that they keep reading them so they eat in a very healthy way after they leave school and go to college.

It would be helpful

Kids want what they see on TV. In the mid-1980s, McDonald's spent one million dollars on advertising per day. McD's is a company who won't spend 50 cents unless they can squeeze two dollars worth out of it. The million-a-day figure did not include what owner/operators spent on local store marketing.

Yet it is not their battle alone. We all need to take some responsibilty for this problem, this is why playing the blame game is pointless.

Some have direct responsibilty, parents, manufacturers and educators
Whilst others may have an indirect responsibilty; marketeers, School lunch suppliers etc.

Is it right to do nothing if you know that by making a small change you are no longer "enabling" a child to be unhealthy?

I think I could agree with that.

ty :)

I hope thy all pull their ads!

Both media and parents must fight to do that. If parents don't, media won't and vice versa..

It's the parents job to get what the kids eat.

I think it will be effective up until a certain point. Sure, we eat what we know. But what happens when they go over to a friend's house and eat candy? That "forbidden" food then becomes a prize. It's a double sided coin.

parents must be responsibility

if kids see healthy foods ads on chanelss they love, it should convince most that those foods are 'cool' or whatevs.... but it is still ultimately up to the parents buying those foods. it wont help if they still buy that crap food.

This is a great step in the right direction! A huge part of a child's personal growth can be affected by the quality of their diet. Even if this only reduces junk food consumption by a small percentage it is a percentage in the right direction. Concentration in class and unhealthy junk food obsession will both be improved if more media companies take this stance.

Children do not have the power to provide themselves with food. Their food is purchased by adults. While children are completely helpless against advertising and entirely manipulated by marketing their only accessibility is through adults. Somewhere in their lives an adult is buying this stuff for them, or giving them money and transportation to buy it themselves. What they eat and how much they eat is entirely in their parents control. I think it's great that some children's programmers are being responcible in their advertising and education of kids relationship to food. However, ultimately it is the responcibility of parents to stop poisoning their kids.

No more than Mayor Bloomberg can by banning large size sodas.