THE registered dietician who works for the British Dietetic Association reacts to criticism of food companies for using cartoon characters such as Tony the Tiger to advertise unhealthy products to children.
Do you think the Which? report criticising companies that use cartoons for advertisement will have any affect?I would definitely like to see changes, but I'm not too confident it will happen, at least in the near future. The more
coverage the issue gets, the more pressure will be put on the food companies to change. Hopefully, the message will get through to parents and to people who buy these products that the food is unhealthy. But I'm not too sure advertisers will take anything on board.
Do you think the industry regulators will change the regulations concerning advertising?The industry regulators and the government should step in. The regulators need to be much more strict on the use of cartoons in advertising. It is clear that the cartoons are appealing to children.
We don't want to get rid of these characters, but the report showed that they were being used for unhealthy products. They should only be used to promote healthy foods.
How serious is this, and are food companies responsible for unhealthy diets?One child in three is obese, which makes this a serious issue. The food companies certainly need to take some responsibility. We work in schools to educate children about healthy living. The food industry needs to work with us.
What should parents do when children want unhealthy products?Parents need to educate their children. They shouldn't merely say "no", because that just makes children want something more. Instead, they should explain to children that high sugar levels will damage their teeth and high fat content leads to increased blood pressure. Parents need to discuss the issue with their children. If children feel that they are part of a decision they will be happier eating healthy food.
The full article contains 326 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
