September 24, 2007 Hello! With the goal of creating a healthier generation which is taking responsibility for its own healthy eating choices, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working with the Cartoon Network in order to help children learn how to read food labels.
"Nutrition experts and the Food and Drug Administration ...
advocate teaching children to read food labels themselves
instead of relying on mom and dad. ... 'Since I find
parents are not doing a bang-up job (teaching nutrition), I
think it's important to empower the children with their own
information,' said Miami registered dietitian Ronni Litz
Julien. The FDA partnered with the Cartoon Network earlier
this year [2007] to launch a public education campaign
encouraging children ages 9 to 13 -- or tweens -- to read
the nutrition facts on food labels. ... 'We learned that
tweens are able to cognitively understand food labels,
they're making food choices on their own, they want
independence, yet they're still influenced by their
parents,' said Carrie Ainsworth, education outreach
specialist for the FDA. The agency will launch a campaign
for parents next year reinforcing the same message, she
said." By starting with tweens, the FDA is hoping to help a new generation grow to be healthier teens and adults.
"Spot the Block is an educational campaign launched by FDA
and the Time Warner Cartoon Network to encourage 'tweens'
(youth ages 9 to 13) to look for (spot) and use the
Nutrition Facts (the block) to make healthy food choices.
In this way, the two organizations hope to prevent
overweight and obesity in the early years, which can
ultimately help young people stay healthy and prevent
health problems in adulthood. ... Major elements of the
Spot the Block campaign respond to one of nine
priorities--nutrition--identified by the Department of
Health and Human Services for transforming America's health
care system. The elements are based on recommendations from
both the FDA's Obesity Working Group and the federal
government's 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The
dietary guidelines contain science-based advice designed to
help Americans choose diets that meet nutritional
requirements without exceeding caloric needs. In addition,
the guidelines promote health, support active lives, and
reduce the risk of chronic disease. The Spot-the-Block
theme for tweens is 'get your food facts first.' This
message encourages kids to read and think about food facts
before deciding what to eat." To see the Cartoon Network's site which tells its audience: "Before you feed, you need the facts," you can visit http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/promos/200702_fda/index.html The FDA offers a site to help people understand the nutrition labels on food, as well. This site does include graphics to make the content more clear, but no cartoons characters or games to join the reader as they learn the facts.
"People look at food labels for different reasons. But
whatever the reason, many consumers would like to know how
to use this information more effectively and easily. The
following label-building skills are intended to make it
easier for you to use nutrition labels to make quick,
informed food choices that contribute to a healthy diet.
..." However the material is presented, the goals are still to inform consumers (whatever their age) so that they can understand the various aspects of the food labels and make educated decisions about what they eat. When reading labels, it is important to look at the big picture. Just looking at one or two aspects of the label can only give part of the story.
"Here are some tips to help you get the big picture on food
labels:
Questions of the Week: Please email me with any ideas or suggestions. I look forward to reading what you have to say. Cindy |
|||
