Froot Loops Cereal Straws: American Junk Food by Greencolander, on Flickr

Froot Loops Cereal Straws: American Junk Food by Greencolander, on Flickr

I found this article on a Canadian newswire today (emphasis formatted thus is mine):

Retailers and food manufacturers in the U.S. launched a national effort on Monday aimed at helping to reduce obesity, especially in children, by 2015.

More than 40 retailers and companies aim to encourage consumers in the marketplace, at work and in school to achieve a healthy weight.

The project is focused on helping children and adults achieve better energy balance between calories taken in from a healthy diet and calories that go out from physical activity, said David Mackay, president and chief executive officer of Kellogg Company, and chairman of the board of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation.

Members have so far committed $20 million US to raise awareness about the importance of this balance, particularly among children aged six to 11 and their parents and caregivers, including a national public education campaign that is set to launch soon.

The three parts of the campaign include:

  • Marketplace: Product changes, smaller portions, redesigned packaging and labels, placing calorie information on the front of packages, providing consumers with information, and in-store promotion of the project.
  • Workplace: Calorie information and healthier options in cafeterias and vending machines, access to exercise and weight management programs at work, implementing health-risk appraisals to track performance.
  • Schools: Expanding a program that integrates nutrition education and physical education through a school-based curriculum to help children develop lifelong healthy habits.

Some of the companies participating include Campbell Soup Company, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kraft Foods, Nestlé USA, PepsiCo, Sara Lee, Coca-Cola, Hershey and Unilever.

The project is currently focused on the U.S., said Scott Openshaw, director of communications for the Washington, D.C.-based Grocery Manufacturers Association.

In 2007, many of these companies also pledged to use half of their advertising funds to promote healthy eating and active living among children in Canada.

Okay. First, let me stop laughing because this is so hypocritical it just isn’t even funny. The companies who make the worst foods for our children are going to get together and pay someone to write a curriculum to teach healthy eating in our schools. Oh yes, that will work out just fine. (I don’t suppose anyone has heard the “follow the money” paradigm of blame assignment?)

And they’re going to focus on eating calories in and exercising calories out: the same formula that has helped millions worldwide not lose weight. Uh huh. (Gary Taubes, we need you to be even LOUDER in this nation.)

The hypocrisy that really pushed me over the edge, though, was that this wasn’t announced in the United States media, only Canada’s. A few US bloggers, tweeters and commentators have picked it up, but you’d think with such a great, important announcement, these companies would be all over our press. No? No, I think they know better. I think they are looking to boost Canadian sales and hope to slip this past the US media for fear of being heckled for this ridonculous move.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays, hosted by Cheeseslave.
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