Maybe Trix Aren't for Kids

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The Food Industry Spends $1.6 Billion Advertising to Kids Each Year Take Action for Mandatory Standards to STOP Selling Junk Food to Kids Dear Indiana, Kids Are Bombarded by Advertisements for Sugary Foods on TV, Social Media and Online Games Like This One Take Action to Make Sure There Are Strong Rules to STOP Advertising Junk Food to Kids I have a sweet tooth, and growing up, I loved colorful sugary cereal, snack cakes and most types of candy. Thankfully, my mom would intervene and make me eat my vegetables, but she was up against a powerful food advertising industry that was trying to sell me junk food. Things are even worse today, now that kids are bombarded with advertising on TV, the internet, social media and through "advergames," which are ads dressed up as games. Can you take action to stop the junk food advertising to kids? Today one in three American children are overweight or obese. We all know that the state of our food system and our health go hand and hand, and that much of our food system is broken. Unfortunately much of the food that's marketed to children is terrible for their health: sugary cereals, soda and drinks loaded with sugar and corn syrup, fast food, and snacks. Corporations spend close to $1.6 billion marketing food to children each year, and now kids are seeing advertising everywhere they look.  Online marketing to kids now includes fun games and e-card designs made with images of candy and sugary cereals. One site operated by General Mills has over 767,000 young people spending more than an hour each month playing games that are branded for cereals like Lucky Charms and Trix, and company-sponsored pages on Facebook for Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms and other products have more than 10,000 fans each. What's a kid or a parent to do?  Well, an interagency governmental working group is actually looking at creating standards that would limit marketing junk food to kids. Will you submit a comment to help end corporate marketing of junk food to kids? Marketing junk food to kids has gone on for too long, and obesity rates in the United States should be enough to prompt immediate government action. Send your comment today to stop this craziness: http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6901 Thanks for taking action, Sarah Alexander Outreach Director Food & Water Watch goodfood(at)fwwatch(dot)org Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food. We challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink. Talk to Us | Support Us | Subscribe

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