By Jason Stemm (@NYCubsFan

As the senate prepares to debate a new farm bill and food advocates are clamoring for a larger piece of the pie to go to specialty crops (think sweet corn and blueberries) rather than commodity crops (think wheat and corn for processing), Walt Disney Co. made an announcement that will cause ripple effects throughout the food industry and have a lasting impact on the way food brands market to children. Disney’s unveiling of new nutrition guidelines for foods advertised across all of their media channels was applauded by Michelle Obama and advocacy groups. While some felt they didn’t go far enough, most realized the financial risk the company was taking by refusing current advertisers unless they step up their game. It clearly wasn’t driven by the bottom line, since food and beverage advertising to kids is estimated at $1.6 billion dollars a year.

This announcement follows the Disney Magic of Healthy Living initiative launched in 2010 and Disney’s initial steps in 2006 toward supporting a healthier generation of Americans. It included such things as licensing character images to fruits and vegetables. This was right around the time that researchers were seeing for the first time in 200 years an end to the steady rise in life expectancy. Disney has been a leader in this area, and with earlier announcements, other children’s media giants such as Nickelodeon have followed course.

The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative has been working with the industry to voluntarily improve food and beverage advertising to children and already seeing improvements. This may have helped encourage Disney to make this move as everyone is trying to reign in the industry before the government takes action as they have with other categories such as tobacco and alcohol. In New York City, legislation reducing salt and now sugary drinks has been highly contentious. While well intended, defining and implementing such rules is extremely complicated. The mayor’s proposal targets “sugary drinks,” but would not include fruit juices, milk-based drinks or alcoholic beverages. It also just covers restaurants, theaters, stadiums and delis, but not supermarkets that are the state’s jurisdiction.

Disney is also making changes internally. They serve 12 million children’s meals annually, and are planning to reduce the amount of sodium by 25 percent. Additionally, they will be expanding fruit and vegetable offerings in 350 food venues in its U.S. parks by next year. To help children and parents identify healthier options, the Mickey Check has been introduced for products and menu items that meet the criteria.

The criteria were developed in consultation with two child health and wellness experts and align closely with the most recent dietary guidelines and the FTC’s proposed guidelines for food marketing to children. For instance, a complete meal much have less than 600 calories, 740 mg of sodium, and less than 1.1 g of saturated fat and 2.5 grams of sugar per 100 calories. This means current advertiser, Kraft Lunchables, will need to reformulate their product or find another place to advertise. That’s right, this $54 billion, multi-national companies money is no longer good with Mickey unless their food meets these guidelines.

There are not too many media companies that can throw their weight around like Disney. What they have done is put everyone on notice that the winds are changing. We keep hoping with each new initiative announced that this may be what finally starts bending the curve of obesity in this country. While I wouldn’t expect success overnight (this advertising move will not be complete until 2015) perhaps my daughter’s generation will be able to expect a longer and healthier life than us Gen X-ers. What all health and wellness advocates should do is applaud Disney for this bold decision and use it to keep advancing education and awareness about the relationship between food and health.

Just before the holidays, my daughter came home excited about a new school assignment. In the Golden State, the fourth grade California Missions Project is a rite of passage. Kids across the state are charged with building a model, writing a report or both. My daughter was instructed to build a full-scale model of a mission on a 2’ x 2’ base of choice and submit a two-page, typed report on a thumb drive.

I found myself in the same predicament that parents across the county share – helping our kids with science fair projects, 100-days of school assignments, conduct experiments, build solar system models etc. As parents we roll up our sleeves – juggling between sports, lessons, sleep, chores and career – and dive in because we want our child to do well in school.

The holidays came and went, and as the deadline grew closer, panic set in. How would we get this done? I did what has become the number one course of action for the 77.3 percent of Americans who use the Internet. I jumped on the web and within minutes learned that I was not alone in this challenge.

From how to build a mission to where to buy a mission kit or mission kit discounts to where to find accessories, I found everything we needed within minutes. Suddenly our odds of getting this project done improved and panic subsided.

After much review of our numerous options – styrofoam, cake, sugar cubes, we decided to make our model out of cardboard. Buying a kit was out of the question since students who use a model in my daughter’s class receive a maximum grade of a B. And that’s when stress set in.

Measuring, cutting and gluing led to angst, disputes and one big mess. Seeking solutions for getting the job done quicker, I once again turned to the web and was relieved to find that I wasn’t alone in my misery. There are discussion forums, blog posts, message boards and Twitter conversations – all of parents /guardians sharing their stories and strife.

In reading about other parents’ encounters, I realized it could be a lot worse and, subsequently, felt better. I don’t have to worry about younger siblings hurting the model or hampering progress, and I don’t have to worry about the competitive aspects of this project as I’ve spoken to most of the parents in my child’s class. We all work long hours and are looking for the easiest way possible to get this done, with many families opting to use the model despite the lower grade! In fact, I don’t even have to worry about driving the mission to school the day it is due, as I live two blocks away and plan to pull the project to school on a dolly.

I am motivated to get through this project and create something that my daughter will be proud of and excited to share with the world as many have done on YouTube and in vlogs. The Internet is a parents’ ally offering resources and the ability to vent. The web has provided me with a one-stop shop for tips, insight, release and support – it’s like Cliffs Notes and therapy all in one. In the next coming days, we’ll finish our project, and I’ll relish in the fact that I’m not alone because, as they say, misery loves company.

Watch Video

Barbie dolls don’t normally scare me. But last week, I saw a commercial for the new Barbie Video Girl^TM, and to be honest, it gave me the creeps.

The doll looks like a regular Barbie, but has a camera lens hidden in her necklace and a small color LCD screen with controls on her back. She even has a mini-USB port so girls can transfer video to their computer to edit it and add music and graphics – or post it to the Internet.

Is it me, but should we encourage six year olds to take videos and post them to the Internet?

We’ve all read about teens and college students posting inappropriate photos and videos on their Facebook pages. Can we expect more from first graders?

Or more importantly, TechCrunch suggests that in the wrong hands, the Barbie webcam could be used to take videos of unsuspecting children. Teddy bears have been used as “nanny cams.” So what’s to stop Barbie being used the same way – especially since her eyes don’t turn red when the camera is on?

Kids today are growing up with technology. You’ve probably seen toddlers watching cartoons and videos on their parents’ iPhones. Like their parents, kids love these magical phones, which The New York Times recently described as “the most effective tool in human history to mollify a fussy toddler.”

In fact, new research shows that 92 percent of American children under the age of 2 already have an online presence, thanks to photo-sharing on websites like Facebook. And while sharing cute baby pictures seems innocent enough, people need to be careful about disclosing a lot of personal information, such as birth dates, middle names and mothers’ maiden names – which can be carelessly inserted into photo captions – and can aid identity thieves.

Let’s hope Santa doesn’t bring your daughter a Barbie Video Girl for Christmas. Instead, maybe he’ll bring the Computer Engineer Barbie. While this doll doesn’t have an LCD screen in her back and batteries in her legs, Mattel worked with the Society of Women Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering to select her accessories – a smartphone, a Bluetooth headset and a hot pink laptop.

And besides, wouldn’t you rather your daughter embrace her inner geek than learn how to be a member of the paparazzi?

@nycubsfan

Working in the Lewis & Neale food division of CRT/tanaka, we have the fortune of representing the growers and shippers of many healthy fruits and vegetables from blueberries to sweet potatoes. Positive messages about antioxidants and healthy options for diabetic diets present opportunities for dialogue with media and consumers about the benefits of consuming more. In a world of overconsumption (see yesterday’s post on alarming statistics and lying britches) it is great to be able to promote daily inclusion of client products in a healthy diet. The Produce for Better Health Foundation has even made it into its slogan, More Matters.

Despite the wonderful stories to tell, we are still under scrutiny to deliver honest, accurate information to help people make responsible choices. POM Wonderful filed a lawsuit this week to challenge FCC limitations on communicating health messaging. A skeptical watchdog is important to protect consumers from snake-oil salesmen and unscrupulous pushers of the next quick-fix to what ails us. At the same time, the good guys need a leg to stand on, including being able to emphasize the benefits of fruits and vegetables. Altering consumer behavior, however, takes more than a press release and usage ideas, it takes education and a multi-pronged approach to motivating positive change in people’s lives.

New studies come out weekly touting the latest potential health benefits of different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants with claims of prevention for the numerous chronic illnesses that contribute to our astronomical health care spending. Disseminating this new science becomes a tricky proposition, communicating what is fact versus what is possible. The USDA, FDA and FCC have different policies and depending on the usage, any one of them can come into play. Ultimately any chance at altering consumer behavior and reverse the trend of declining fruit consumption and stagnant vegetable intake will require more than just telling people what they may do and providing access.

One successful approach we have found is partnering with the professionals providing nutrition counseling. Nutritionists, dieticians and physicians are all in a  position to authoritatively advise increased fruit and vegetable consumption. Working with groups like the American Association of Diabetes Educators and the American Dietetic Association has allowed delivery of basic nutrition facts and the latest research to authorities in the field that can communicate it to end users. This kind of third-party endorsement is the reason companies seek PR to complement their advertising spend.

Today, we await word out of Washington on passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and the first increase in funding for these programs in 30 years. The European Union appears to be ahead of us with its Pro Greens program, in providing access, affordability and incentive for eating more produce. We see many attempts by government and employers at behavior change toward a healthier diet using the four basic methods, including positive reinforcement, positive punishment, negative reinforcement and negative punishment. From the perspective of communicators, our most powerful ally is education. While there is no guarantee we will act on what we know is best for us and our overall wellness, in the case of fresh produce, an educated consumer is our best customer.

Photo Sources:

http://www.theintuitivecook.com/services.html

http://www.thecentenarian.com/2009/04/21/fat-people-are-one-of-the-top-causes-for-global-warming/