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Washington, D.C. - Ronald Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” I’m often reminded of this quote when I read a federal regulation proposed to deal with an issue of importance. Most recently, it came to mind after reading a proposal by some federal agencies that are worried about increases in the rate of childhood obesity.
Four agencies – the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – are convinced that kids are gaining weight because of television. I tend to agree that they might be gaining weight because of television, but there the agreement ends. The agencies believe kids are gaining weight because of TV commercials that make them pester their parents to buy foods that are laced with sugar and fat. I think they might be gaining weight because they’re watching television (or playing video games, or surfing the Web, or texting each other on their phones) instead of going outside to play.
Rising rates of childhood obesity is definitely a national problem. Over the past forty years, obesity rates among children ages 2 to 11 have quadrupled. According to the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, childhood obesity leads to around $3 billion annually in direct medical costs. And, one recent study found that more than one-fourth of young people are too heavy to qualify for military service. Unfortunately, government agencies have settled on the conclusion that television advertising is the ultimate source of the problem. How they arrived at that conclusion has mystified people.
Five years ago, the Institute of Medicine looked at this very issue and concluded that “evidence is not sufficient to arrive at any finding about a causal relationship from television advertising to adiposity among children and youth.” That should have been the end of it. Apparently, the agencies disagreed with the Institute of Medicine.
They have proposed a “voluntary” ban on advertising foods and beverages to anyone under the age of 18, unless the product meets certain nutritional criteria. Some of the advertising and marketing that would be banned by the proposal includes products the Department of Agriculture actually promotes in its feeding programs. Even old favorites like peanut butter and jelly would not be left untouched.
This advertising ban could have serious ramifications. Some 1.5 million Americans are directly employed by the food manufacturing industry. And, food producers – America’s farmers, ranchers, food packagers and food shippers – could also suffer the consequences. If these federal agencies don’t see the error in their ways, Congress should be prepared to act.
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