Movie Monday: Food Mythbusters

Good morning!

I found this really great little clip on Food mythbusters about marketing to kids, and how influential it can be. When I think back to my childhood, these kinds of things influenced my choices, and my want of processed, packaged “kid food”. I saw tiny teddies and roll ups as the ultimate kid specific food, and couldn’t understand why mum didn’t want me to have it! I thought she was just the meanest, but looking back, I can’t imagine where I would be if she let me choose my own food. Thanks mum for making those choices for me, thanks for teaching me the hugely important skill of cooking, and thanks for giving me good, healthy, whole foods!

This clip just shows how susceptible kids are to the marketing they see, and how advertising for junk food really is everywhere. Especially with kids watching more TV, playing more computer games, and the increasing use of iPad’s and iPhone’s. It’s so hard for parents to be up against that, however, there are lots of parents, and other groups who all want the same thing: The cessation of advertising to kids. And the best way to go about it? Lobbying governments to put policies in place to make it hard for companies to advertise to kids.

The cancer council have some great info on advertising to kids: http://www.cfac.net.au/junkfoodinjunction_may2013.html

As well as the Food mythbusters website: http://foodmyths.org/myths/marketing-advertising/

And because I just love Anna Lappe, here is her TED talk from earlier this year, she is such an advocate for getting healthy messages out to kids, and I find her such an inspiration!