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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Richert: Can Ads Rein In Obesity

Michael Bloomberg got the headlines for his assault on the Big Gulp, but I’m more intrigued by Disney’s anti-obesity push. Last week, Disney said it will dump TV, radio and web ads for junk food, sweet cereals and candy, a ban that goes into effect in 2015. It calls to mind 1971, when Congress banned tobacco TV advertising. That was a government edict, of course, and this time, one private company is making the move unilaterally. But the intent is the same: to insulate young, impressionable viewers from slick ads pitching unhealthy products. The parallel between our nation’s campaign against smoking and its looming battle against obesity has been on my mind since Monday, when I listened to former Food and Drug Administration commissioner David Kessler speak in Boise/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Will fighting obesity in this country be the 21st Century equivalent to the battle against tobacco? Or will it fade away because America enjoys eating?


Read more here: http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2012/06/20/krichert/selling_obesity_can_ad_restrictions_help_battle_bulge?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IdahoStatesmanQuicktakes+%28IdahoStatesman.com+Quicktakes%29#wgt=rss#storylink=cpy


D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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