Food Marketers Fight Obesity — & Maybe Push Their Foods, Too

Some of America’s most visible food corporations, including the Coca-Cola Co., Kraft Foods, Pepsi-Co, Campbell Soup, and Welch Foods — who, of course, are under fire from health groups, consumer advocates and regulators — announced plans for a massive ad effort to curb obesity.

The public service advertising campaign to halt obesity — dubbed the "Coalition for Healthy Children" — also  "presumably [could encourage] consumption of some of [these companies’ products]," as aptly observed by MediaDailyNews reporter Michael Delbert.

The collaborative initiative — which is being coordinated by the Advertising Council — also is backed by the American Heart Association, the American Dietetic Association Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, and Time magazine.

Now this is interesting. Coke, Kraft, Pepsi, Campbell Soup, and Welch are getting into bed with the AHA, ADA, American Dietetic Association, and Time to keep our nation from getting fatter.

The ad campaign has some lofty-sounding goals. They include providing "consistent, research-based messages targeted to parents and children," according to the Ad Council press release.

But my burning question is this: Whose research results are being promoted? Who funded them? (Remember, the funding source can completely skew the results, as several scientists pointed out to me while I was writing my book, SUGAR SHOCK!)

While I heartily applaud this new collaborative initiative, I have reservations about it. I just have to skeptical when all these companies that sell sugary-and-fat-loaded foods are involved.

On the other hand, maybe some good information will get out there. That would be very cool. So, I’m optimistic.

Well, sort of.

Then again, is a company that sells sugary-filled cookies going to get behind a PSA that says, "Kids, eat less sugar so you can live longer and feel better." Hardly.

What are your thoughts?

Should we trust that this industry-funded, and health-organization-backed, Ad Council-administered "Coalition for Healthy Children" advertising campaign will get good, accurate, unbiased information out there to the public?