Here come Michelle Obama’s food marketing police
Big Mommy Michelle Obama launched her childhood obesity campaign in February by dragging her daughters’ BMIs into the public spotlight and carrying water for the SEIU’s legislative agenda. What’s next? Aggressive government pressure on, and policing of, food advertisers. Here they come:
The review by the Task Force on Childhood Obesity says one out of every three children is overweight or obese. The task force is a key part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to solve the problem of obesity within a generation. President Obama ordered the comprehensive review of the issue.
The report includes familiar themes, emphasizing the importance of improved nutrition and physical activity. It also calls for some new and dramatic controls on the marketing of unhealthy foods.
The task force wants junk food makers and marketers to go on what amounts to an advertising diet. It says media characters that are often popular with kids should only be used to promote healthy products. If voluntary efforts fail to limit marketing of less healthy products to young viewers, the task force suggests the FCC should consider new rules on commercials in children’s programming. It also challenges food retailers to stop using in-store displays to sell unhealthy food items to children.
The advisory panel proposes better food content labeling on products and vending machines. Restaurants and vending machine companies are urged to display calorie counts. The experts say the FDA and USDA should cooperate with the food and beverage industries to develop a standard system of nutrition labeling on the front of packages. The study also suggests that restaurants should re-evaluate portion sizes, improve kids’ menus and list more healthy food choices.
The White House study says school systems should consider efforts to promote healthier food in cafeterias. One idea: “swap deep fryers for salad bars.”
In a proposal that’s sure to be popular with children, the panel says schools should promote recess for younger students and “physical activity breaks” for upper level grades.
Because, you know, parents, teachers and administrators in their local school districts are too stupid and too uncaring to have figured this out already.
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Excuse me? Are children shopping alone these days? Are they blowing their paychecks on Ding Dongs?
I think it’s time for a Presidential mandate that Veggie Tales be shown in all public schools.
You know what’s popular with children? Twinkies. Cookies. Chocotate bars.
The marxists are taking candy from babies.
Here’s my idea; let kids play tag, kick-ball, dodge-ball, etc.
When I was a kid we ate candy, but we also ran and played during recess.
Gee, I wonder if eliminated physical education in our PUBLIC schools has anything to do with it?
See how things work. Now they’re in your cereal box! Slow, slow, slowly, one step at a time. This is not a free country.
Are we lucky, or what, to have the O’Bambis come along just in time to take over every aspect of life in the United States? What would we have done without the Mother’ing nature of these people? We won’t need to hire Nannys or even use everybody in “The Village” to raise our kids any more, let alone make any decisions for ourselves ever again. WOW, just lucky, I guess.
No. I reject this assault on my liberties and my freedoms. Yes, I have the right to sell twinkies, I have the right to market twinkies and I have the right to purchase twinkies.
It is UNCONSTITUTIONAL for the government to control speech in this manner or even control *perfectly edible* food.
The sheer hypocrisy of these people is astounding. This is the same woman who will send her kids to private school but deny that same right to anyone else because she knows what’s best for the little people.
Jan 15, 2012 can’t come soon enough.
Unfortunately, precedent exists that allows the Government to regulate for content over the public airwaves.
Healthy children (healthy people for that matter) are a good thing, but we must be careful on how the issue is approached.
I’m sure all Heinze products will be on the approved list.
Not a good idea at that. At least deep fry your salad! You kill the e-coli that way.
Exactly. How many times have we heard stories in which kids are not allowed to have any kind of physical activity because someone might get hurt and the parents sue or that some child might not be as good at the game as others so no one is allowed to play as it might just casue a child to have hurt feelings. My kids school tried to stop the kids from even running on the grass, because it might not be eco-friendly. That did not go over with the parents and we all told them point blank that they either withdrawl the stupid rule or we would transfer our kids to another school or homeschool them. No kids = no money = no job. they got the picture real quick.
Careful now, Obama bin Biden. Most of those ‘foods’ are probably produced in that country that holds your lien.
How in the world did humanity exist for thousands and thousands of years without Democrats?
I can’t believe people were actually smart enough to live and propagate the species without being told how to do it. Amazing.
When the census is over the “part time” census workers can be redirected to stand in grocery store checkout lines and identify those with food items that are “not correct.”
The offenders will then receive a home visit from the Obamacare health worker, who will “assist” them in making choiced deemed “correct” or face premium increases. That will keep employment up and thought correctly directed.
And this is going to create a larger teen pregnancy problem that will require another government program to ‘solve’.
When I go to the grocery store and see these very large moms with their equally large kids with them, I have NEVER seen one mom check the calories on the soft drinks, ice cream, chips, candy, sugar cereal, or any other product! These same moms and kids don’t look at the calories on any fast food either. Bottom line, they WILL not eat salads or fruit because they don’t like them. So, mo, this will not work. You, mo, are just as bad at sticking your fingers in our lives as this bho is.
L
They can force companies to hang those labels anywhere or even brand them on employees and it will not make any difference.Go to McD’s or any fast food place at lunch and watch the people gorge on the food.People are going to eat what they want regardless of what the feel gooders do or say.Labels are meaningless.
Support your local Dunkin’ Donuts
horsey needs a job …
Saffy: Mum, if you want to lose weight, all you have to do is eat less and take more excercise.
Eddy: Oh sweetie; if it were that easy everyone would be doing it!
–Absolutely Fabulous
Why doesn’t Michelle my Belle work on getting her idiot husband to stop smoking?
I don’t need either of these elitist nit wits to tell me how to live my life. Did someone say Dunkin donuts?
Until all of those foods are banned — or the companies who manufacture / sell them are fined out of business. We already have the “salt police” — can the fat and/or calorie and/or carb police be far behind?
It would be less about it being over the airwaves and more about the speech in question being “commercial speech” hich is less protected than non-commercial. However, even that is a tough nut to crack.
Here is a pretty good article summarizing the state of Constitutional law of commercial speech.
Well, according the NYT and USA Today and other lamestream media types, conservatives aren’t as smart as liberals.
That means we need them to be our nannies and to watch over us.
It’s a wonder we’ve survived as long as we have.
(sarc on by the way)
Remember, if the Government is going to pay for your Health Care, the Feds want to keep you from getting sick. This started with getting rid of smoking in bars in NYC all on the premise that the Gov’t was concerned with the health of restaurant workers who are “at will” employees and weren’t complaining about the smoke. The way to controll us is to convince us it’s for our own good! Now PUT DOWN THAT HOT DOG AND STEP AWAY FROM THAT CART.
Coming to a Ball Park near you soon, “Banana Chips! Get your Banana Chips. Ice Cold Mineral Water Here! Broccoli, Fresh Broccoli!”
Let’s just make sure that the media matches every story about the 70% of Americans who are overweight with one about the less than 1% who might be anorexic. After all, Hollywood and Madison Avenue do such a good job in making all of these fat girls and boys starve themselves until they can fit into non-husky sized clothes.
First they eliminate physical education classes …
Then they put soda and candy and snack machines in the schools …
Then they wonder why the kids are gaining weight and not in good physical condition and less healthy …
When I was in school there were neither soda nor snack machines in the schools … gum, candy, etc., in class were the best way to get you a guaranteed trip to at least a class counselor … if not worse … and a call to your parents …
Since we had actual sports coaches running “gym class” we took part in organized sports and other physical activities that got everyone lots of outdoor exercise … every day …
You either brought your lunch from home or bought lunch in the cafeteria … no one was allowed to leave the school grounds to go somewhere else for lunch … so no fast food and such …
Most of the lunch room workers were volunteer parents that were unpaid … only the actual workers doing the cooking were paid school employees …
Everything was made fresh in the school kitchen … none of the commercially prepared junk they deliver to the schools to be reheated and served today …
Now … compare those school policies to the schools of today and tell me which generation got it right …
An equally good question might be, “How in the world will humanity be able to exist with socialists/fascists?”
They can have my pepperoni and can of Easy Cheese, when they pry it from my cold dead fingers!
This is exactly the case. It’s insidious this movement to take our freedom totally. But really, it’s for our own good.
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
–C. S. Lewis
Good article.
Yup. Our kids have to stand around during recess. God forbid they play Dodge Ball.
Burn the trial lawyers at the stake and this problem is solved.
“The White House study says school systems should consider efforts to promote healthier food in cafeterias. One idea: “swap deep fryers for salad bars.””
In related news: Romaine lettuce recall expands http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/11/lettuce.recall/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
They had better get their grabby hands off my Cocoa-Puffs.
NJ, I think you may just have created a whole new food group.
You can’t win, NJ. If you strike them down they shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Capn Crunch is my personal favorite. Total, unadulterated sugar! It’s divine!
If you strike them down they shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Dang – how’d that happen…well, you get the message.
Don’t shoot them – it’ll just make ‘em mad.
How very dare you! If you’ve ever tried a deep fried Twinkie, you wouldn’t utter such heresy!
This is starting to irritate me. Isn’t this America?! If I thought there was a demand, shouldn’t I be able to open “Transfats R Us” and serve deep-fried sticks of butter?!
Aaaaaaargh!
When I want to learn something, I look for individuals who have been successful in that area. When I look for good nutrition and fitness role models, the last person I think of is Michelle.
The last thing I need to hear is Spud Butt telling anyone what to eat, drink or look at.
The Bambi doctrines are going to solve the so-called obesity problem in America buy making sure that no one is going to be able to afford food of any kind.Except of course their friends in government and on Wall Street,maybe Hollyweird.
Occam’s razor-no food=no obesity,no problem.
I have been wondering how Obama was going to take control of the food industries.
By inserting the federal government into their ability to market and package, the Obama regaime can determine the winners and losers in the food industry. The winners will of course be the companies that favor Obama with the appropriate tribute.
Do not dream for even one second this has anything to do with children.
lol… probably too much salt though.
heh.. probably true Chap.
And good article linked above. Informative. Thank you.
With Micky O calling the shots, just think, no more s’mores, burgers, brats, cob corn, strawberry short cake on the 4th of July! Lord, I just want these do-gooders out of my life.
By the way,seriously,don’t schools have gym class,or health class anymore?I mean where participation is mandatory and graded.
Yeah, that’s a good choice too. Nothing like a bowl of over-sweetened cereal during late night TV.
Bought some of those delicious chocolate cupcakes, ate one on the way home and now off to the fridge for a Milkyway Dark bar…mmmmm..
Yeah, sure.
It’s kind of like being lectured by Lear-jet Libs on how we all need to reduce our “carbon footprints:” when Mrs. Hope-a-Dope reaches the point where she can be photographed from any angle other than head-on without making people wonder why there aren’t any moons orbiting her posterior, maybe I’ll start taking her obesity lectures seriously.
They’re probably not dead, the circulation is just cut off from a blocked artery or five.
Hey, if fat is slippery, then how exactly can it block an artery?
I just need that hideuos photo of MO holding that yam with that sour puss flashed in front of me every time I crave sugar and I’ll be svelte in no time.
The only thing mandatory in our schools is two teachers per classroom. And no, the second isn’t an aid for a particular special needs kids. They’re there too. These are two full bore teachers.
they dropped Phys Ed in elementary school in favor Spanish.
Oh geeeeeeeeez…
Student Gets Detention for Possessing Piece of Candy
Thank God she didn’t have a twinkie on her. Firing squad.
“The review by the Task Force on Childhood Obesity says one out of every three children is overweight or obese. ”
Yesterday I learned that one out of every eight people is on food stamps. Should a task force be assigned to solve this problem, too?
The End of Birthday Cakes. That’s OK, burning candles is bad for the environment.
Nice photo, is it designed to show the proper habitat of the national nanny? I assume she never had a real job, so why not harass others.
Someone want to tell Mrs. Obama that Kobe Beef (Wagyu) is FULL of fat!
The future:
You wake up in the morning and get out of your government approved bed, attempt to shower in 2 minutes under cold water using government approved soap. Brush your teeth with government approved toothpaste and toothbrush, put on government approved clothing, eat a government approved breakfast, get into your government approved car, go to your government approved job, work 5 hours and have your government approved lunch, work another 5 hours then back into your g.a. car. You stop on the way home (after having obtained a special commuter-deviation permit two months prior) at the government approved store, to walk down aisle after aisle of mostly empty shelves that contain government approved food. You take your cart to the checkout stand where you pay your last 3 days wages for your items, then you go home and strain your eyes under government approved lighting to warm up your government approved dinner on your government approved heat source. During dinner, you sit in your government approved chair and fulfill your requirement to watch the evening news.
And at the end of the day, standing in your government approved pajamas, in your government approved house, in your government designed and approved apartment, you weep.
On May 11th, 2010 at 11:48 am, tre said:
When I was a kid we ate candy, but we also ran and played during recess.
we ate way less candy and drank way less soda than today’s little darlings.
what we considered a real “treat” they literally take whenever the spirit moves…
They take your Jolly Ranchers away now. You can’t play during recess anymore. Parents are looking for any excuse to sue. Besides, there are pedophiles and drug dealers everywhere. (/sarc). Got to keep the kids sitting down and safe. That way, the government can declare a weight crisis, pretend to offer solutions to look good, but, in reality, take more control over the people.
How about cutting back on the amount of food stamps? Obviously, if childhood obesity is an epidemic the kids are getting too much food.
Or better yet, don’t allow junk food purchases with food stamps, just basic nutritional foods. No sodas, chips, cookies. If the kids want cookies or cupcakes, how about mama baking them from scratch.
Heck, the SNAP program could just pass out basic foods such as lean proteins, dry beans, fresh, frozen and canned veggies and fruits, flour, rice, etc. You get the idea.
Nothing ever could top John Kerry trying to act like a working man at Pat’s King of Steaks in South Philly. Everyone else says “wid” or “widout” and here comes Kerry wearing his French hand tailored suit and asks the counterguy ” A little provolone, please”. Mike Dukakis and the Belgian Endives might rival that but Dukakis was really a halfway decent guy, unlike Kerry.But I do love Obama asking a truck driver in Iowa if had seen the latest prices on the radichio at Whole Foods.
Hmmmmm……a correlation between the large number of food stamp recipients and obesity?
Probably. If you’ve ever been behind any of them who is a regular recipient. Their carts are full of junk.
More lettuce?
Oh so that’s why they are putting more e-coli in the lettuce….
One way to cut the debt eh?
Yeah…speaking of the food stamp program, why are those people who are buying their food with my money being allowed to buy “junk” food with it? Gee, MObama…do ya’ think this “childhood obesity” business might have something to do with the irresponsible behaving true to form? [literally]
Btw, Madame O…stay out of my kitchen, my grocery cart, my wallet, my life in general, etc. And, you can stick that sweet potato/yam where the sun don’t shine…sideways!
It is all about power, bad people-though they think they are not bad-exercising power over others. Be it food, cigarettes, “hate speech”, physical fitness, what ever it is all about power.Yes these fascist use all the right arguments: It saves the STATE THEIR money (not ours), it saves lives-want them saved or not, National Security-keep the little darlings healthy so we, the State, can send them to war. And they do have the stand by canard-Commercial Speech. A pro life advocacy group is Commercial Speech as it opposes the STATE’s Correct position. LaRaza, Daily Kos, Huffington Post, George Soros Incorporated and the New York Times are not Commercial Speech for they shill for the State’s Correct position.
Every argument we have been having with the left is really one issue: POWER. They envy the power of their heroes Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro and even little Hugo. They want that power to make our lives better and they really don’t care how many of us they have to kill to get it.
===
Let your sidearm be like Master Card:
Don’t Leave home without it.
Sorry, beachmom…I posted before I read yours. We basically said the same thing.
This is what happens when you put lawyers in charge. They are fundamentally incapable of doing anything in an efficient manner. Everything costs more, takes more time, and ultimately creates consequences where the cycle will be repeated. They set it up where the take a piece of the action at every step of the way.
I think there should be a maximum percentage of legislators in state and federal govt. that have law degrees.
10% maximum!
We need to fill our government with experienced business people…..an equal percentage of private sector workers and owners.
Enough with professional academics, lawyers, and politicians.
I also ran around the neighborhood and in the woods, climbing trees, swimming creeks and chasing farm animals. Kids now days can’t be let alone outside anymore without some homosexual pervert snatching them off the street, that’s why they’re FAT
When I assume room temperature, I don’t want my remains buried at the local Veteran’s cemetery.
Just scatter my ashes over the nearest Krispy Kreme……
….or Braum’s.
Great idea!..or a Dunkin Donuts. Where’s my will…..
Spud butt? That’s a good one!!!
The more I hear from these people, the more I want to go watch Dennis Leary’s rant in Demolition Man.
Who would have ever thought he’d be prophetic!
School districts are now punishing kids if they have junk food in their possession at schools. Weed and condoms good, Little Debbies bad.
Bedonkey donk butt is another reasonable choice.
RedDog: actually, condoms are bad too. The federal machine needs young unwed mothers in order to get them started on government welfare programs early and all that.
In addition, pregnant teens further their cause regarding providing secret abortions for them.
When I was a kid the school didn’t have a cafeteria. My Mom made my lunch, I carried it while walking to school and ate at my desk, quickly, as to not miss recess. There was always a token fat kid.
Then the government helped by providing us with high calorie corporate cafeteria food and buses, and the kids got fatter?
Go figure.
Dude, if it was good enough for the Soviet proletariat it’s good enough for the likes of an American running dog like you. You need a trip to the re-education camp. Get your mind right.
November cannot come soon enough. I would love to see several grand jury investigations into this Congress and Presidency starting next year. Ample grounds will be found for indictment I am sure. But who would risk their lives heading an investigation?
As long as 75% of our population can watch American Idol, have an outlet for their iPOD, have access to Facebook, and can send unlimited text messages they won’t mind what else is done to them.
Remember 4 and 6 oz bottles of Coke? Now you 64 ozs free if you buy the Super-Duper-Sized deep-fat fried Blubber Sticks with the Roquefort and Mayo sauce.
Some moo cow from a School’s Lunch program is on telling all the wonderful things that white elephant has done. The little darlings parents too damn lazy to box a lunch? Millions upon millions of working people go to work everyday with a box lunch-we kids all brown bagged it. Rare was the day we had the nickle for a bottle of Coca-Cola but that was a good day. It was MY nickle so it was MY Coca-Cola:
Have Teeth
Will Bite.
I do need a bigger bumper:
===
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed.
I swear the little bottles of Coke tasted better than the stuff they sell in plastic now. And it got colder, too.
For what it’s worth, Melody Barnes (the Chair of the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity) is a hottie.
Why does the Left always hide their hotties, and front us the…
All right, I will stop myself there.
From the Presidential Memorandum:
“Sec. 2. Mission and Functions of the Task Force. The Task Force shall work across executive departments and agencies to develop a coordinated Federal response while also identifying nongovernmental actions that can be taken to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. The functions of the Task Force are advisory only and shall include, but are not limited to, making recommendations to meet the following objectives:
(a) ensuring access to healthy, affordable food;
(b) increasing physical activity in schools and communities;
(c) providing healthier food in schools; and
(d) empowering parents with information and tools to make good choices for themselves and their families.”
Like most liberal government legislation, they spell out things with which we can mostly agree. These four items seem OK.
And they are supposed to be “advisory only”.
Wait just a minute here! Kids aren’t allowed to play outside during recess? Are you serious? Kids will never know what it feels like to be free.
Some people are fat and some people are thin. So what? I eat all the delicious, fattening foods I can get my hands on in the vain hope of gaining a pound or two.
Now about those salt police. I wonder what they’ll do to those of us who must either eat salt or slip into a coma. We are few in number, which probably qualifies us as a minority group. Maybe the commies will grant us a special dispensation. Y’all reckon?
True. I’ve heard they manipulate temperatures during taste tests…the competition just a tad warmer…
Oh, and they used to use sugar, not corn syrup.
Hold on a minute because that depends; Little Debbie’s what?
Ya’ll mess wit ma greens i no vote 4 u agin. Dat lard gud 4 me.
When it formed iced at the top. Oh Man!
The progressive liberals keep it up and a day of reckoning will be here before you know it. WOW! Reading some comments, blogs on other sites..people are angrier than I have ever known them to be. Obama knows it too and that’s why he is beginning to move against communicating via Ipods, Ipads, internet, and blackberrys.
Come to the Minnesota State Fair. Yes, they literally have deep fried butter, plus deep fried Snickers bars, etc. My daughter and I once ate our way through the fair. Won’t do that again. But it was fun!! Huge turkey legs, pronto pups slathered with mustard, deep fried dill pickles, you get the drift. If they ban that from the State Fair, no one will go.
Little Debbie’s bad, as in the contraction Little Debbie IS bad. Naughty, naughty Little Debbie.
No, wait… what I am thinking is far too perilous!
/Python-esque
One thing that hurts kids in school is that soda companies and food companies spend so much money to ‘support’ schools with ‘teaching aids’ that are actually advertising. We noticed this back in the mid 80′s and I’m sure itstill holds true today.
Would depend, I suppose, on what your definition of IS is.