Which Came First

The fat kid, or the food industry's multimillion-dollar advertising budget?
A report was released earlier this week that recommends the government provide incentives to food companies to use popular children's characters on healthy foods, such as SpongeBob Squarepants Spinach (which has alliteration to it). If the food companies do not comply with the voluntary restrictions, the government could step in and force them. Something about the government forcing an industry to be responsible is a bit scary. Yes, the automobile industry had to be dragged into implementing mandatory seatbelts, but that's different. A person doesn't have control over whether or not someone slams into their car. People do, however, have a choice about what they put into their mouth.
I always think about the people I babysit for and how good their kids are about food. Of course, the kids love candy and Slurpees and cookies. But they also love homemade mac and cheese made with whole-wheat pasta. They like ants on a log. They love pretzels and apples and other healthy snacks. They know that sweets are something that you eat after a meal because they taste good, and do not serve as "good for you." It's not always easy to get them to eat veggies, but they don't refuse. Nor do they beg for the Scooby-Doo chocolate chip cookies because Scooby-Doo is on them.
I don't know how the people I babysit for keep these kids isolated so much from pop culture. The kids don't really watch live television with advertisements. They watch rented videos with episodes of Scooby-Doo or SpongeBob. Maybe that's why they don't insist that every item of food that enters into their body has a recognizable character on it. While I'm appalled that the seven year-old doesn't know who Kermit the Frog is, I admire that she's not begging me to buy her a Bratz doll for Christmas.
As it is with every issue about both food and advertising with me, it really comes down to personal accountability. Kids are not brainless drones unless their parents allow them to be. Kids should be taught that companies are out to make money, and while participating in this capitalist system is inevitable, they have to be critical of the motivations. Just because Elmo is on a package of crackers doesn't make them good. In fact, most of the branded foods taste like ass. It is a picture of a cartoon character. Kids need to know that doesn't mean it's endorsed by the character. It's not that difficult. Some parents won't teach their kids, in which case schools can step in. If schools lead by example and take the soda and snack machines out of their buildings, or instead use snack companies that have healthy products, that's a start. A school in Brookline recently had a chef come up with healthy versions of typical cafeteria foods that the kids actually like. Health class curriculums should address the food pyramid (or octagon, or whatever it is now). I think there should be lessons about being an informed consumer as well. Books have been written about the ways that corporations target young people, and the young people should have the knowledge and tools to be aware of how they're being manipulated. The government shouldn't force people into nutritional responsibility, but educate the public on how to make those decisions themselves.

Who eats leafy greens in a pineapple under the sea?