American Snacks Scrutinized by Feds

On July 18, 2007 the Federal Trade Commission will conduct a public hearing regarding food advertisements that target children. This hearing will definitely put pressure on several food companies who have concentrated more on their profits rather than the health benefits of their products. The commission will be surveying about 44 drink and food companies and looks into how they are spending their money for advertisements. The FTC would likely investigate whether or not these companies are doing the required research on nutrition and food safety. Large corporations like Kraft, Kellogg and PepsiCo are among the companies to be surveyed.

Most of these companies believe that self-regulation is the best approach to addressing these advertising issues instead of coming up with a general standard. But the FTC believes that in past years American children have been very susceptible to these marketing strategies resulting in a considerable rise of obesity incidences. In fact, studies conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics have shown that children who are overweight are at a greater risk of becoming obese adults.

The decision of the FTC to check advertising methods is actually creating a friction between the health industry and the food manufacturing industry. But many food companies should realize that consumers today have become more conscious about their health and would appreciate being provided with products that will promote wellness and protect them from the obesity epidemic.

The efforts of the Federal Trade Commission should also be applauded. Regulation of all advertisements should really be done in order to protect your children and at the same time promote informed decisions. On the other hand, you should not leave the responsibility of food choices to the government alone. As a parent, you should also be accountable for the overall health of your children. In fact, the majority of this responsibility lies with you. Obesity due to poor diet can be prevented. Here are some tips which you could use.

• Read nutrition labels. Every food company is required to put these nutrition labels and you should use them as guide when choosing healthy snacks for your children.

• Choose organic products and food with natural ingredients. There are snacks that contain fiber-rich ingredients and could result to feelings of satiety.

• If you have time to prepare your children’s lunch or snack, you can always choose to give them a healthy sandwich instead of giving them a box of ready-made cookies.

• Teach your children to eat healthy and make wise food choices in order to fight obesity when they are older. You can accomplish this by setting a good example.

Being overweight or obese has become a great problem for many young Americans. You and your children can avoid battling this weight problem by exercising, making smart food choices and taking natural weight loss supplements. If you must change your family’s lifestyle, you should do so. At the end of the day, your family’s health is the one at stake.