Dinosaurs and Yogurt

Recent attention have begun to question the impact of food marketing on American children. We have a significant issue with the health of our children. Our children are now obese and getting more so by year. The incidence of Type II Diabetes in American children has grown significantly during the last 10 years. This is a problem.

Why? What happened? It would be too simplistic of a view to pinpoint the issue on any one cultural change. More than likely it is a combination of more two-parent working families, the costs of fast food (cheap due to farm food subsidies), and the increase in the video game generation distracting kids from the age old pursuit of going outside to play.

And, dinosaurs. Yes, Tony the Tiger and the Trix Rabbit seemed rather harmless at the time. Watch children’s television on Saturday morning and you’ll see yogurt being hawked by dinosaurs, TV dinners recommended by fluffy stuffed characters, and snacks by cheetahs. Is this good for our children? I happen to think we should be teaching our children about vegetables and fruits for their own sake, not because of an attractive fun character jumping around on a television screen.