We Have a Positive Story to Tell

Wednesday was the first formal meeting of a joint government/industry Task Force on Media and Childhood Obesity. The task force was formed several months ago by Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) and FCC Chair Kevin Martin and FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate. It’s intended to be a non-adversarial setting where industry groups, public interest groups and government officials can work together on solutions to the childhood obesity crisis.

ANA is a member of the Executive Committee of the Task Force and I gave a presentation describing the various steps the marketing community has taken to address childhood obesity. My colleague with the Grocery Manufacturers/Food Product Association noted that over the last five years, food and beverage companies have introduced more than 10,000 new or reformulated products that are healthier. A representative from Disney described some of the efforts being made by media companies. Collectively, our industry has spent billions to respond to the childhood obesity crisis.

While more remains to be done, we have a very positive story to tell.

In fact, I believe the marketing community has collectively done more to respond to the childhood obesity crisis than any other segment of society. I specifically challenged the federal government and state and local governments to step up to the plate and increase their efforts to fight this problem. My statement cited some specific areas for progress.

The Task Force will provide us with an opportunity to take a comprehensive look at what’s already being done and to identify gaps that still need to be filled.