Help get junk-food marketing out of schools!

Please help us to get junk-food marketing out of schools! While 15 companies have agreed to limit some food advertising in elementary schools through the Council of Better Business Bureaus' Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, the CFBAI's elementary school advertising principles fall far short of effectively limiting the junk food marketed and sold to children in school.

The CFBAI's school marketing principles fail to cover:

Food sales out of school vending machines, which commonly offer candy, sugary drinks, chips, cookies, and snack cakes;
Marketing messages on racks, coolers, vending machines, and other displays of junk food;
Branded fundraisers such as selling brand-name chocolate bars, label-redemption programs, coupon books, and fast-food restaurant nights; and
Marketing seen by kids that is disguised as information for adults, including branded calendars, aprons worn by cafeteria workers, and branded cups.

It seems the school marketing principles exempt more than they cover! And, the CFBAI doesn't apply their guidelines to middle schools and high schools.

Please contact the Council of Better Business Bureaus today and urge it to strengthen its school marketing program to cover the full range of in-school marketing at all school levels and all times of day.

Thank you for your support!

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Talking Points

Subject:

Dear Ms. Kolish:

(Edit Letter Below)

I thank your organization for encouraging more responsible food marketing to children through the Council of Better Business Bureau's Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI).  However, I am very concerned about the CFBAI's Fact Sheet on the Elementary School Advertising Principles.  With sky-high childhood obesity rates, these principles are woefully inadequate to address food marketing in schools.

For the CFBAI to be effective, it must cover all junk-food marketing in all schools (including middle and high schools) whenever kids are at school.  All schools should be healthy places that do not undermine parents' efforts to feed children (of all ages) healthfully.

The school marketing program should cover the sale of food itself.  Selling food in schools is one of the most powerful marketing strategies companies use.  However, it is also one of the most problematic, since many junk foods are sold in schools and children are free to spend money in school without parental supervision.

In addition, the CFBAI should cover food marketing messages on racks, coolers, vending machines, and other displays in schools; branded fundraisers; marketing that may be targeted at adults, but that is visible to students; and should include all school-sponsored activities through the extended school day.  Whether during the school day or an after-school activity, schools should be free of junk-food marketing. And, of course, CFBAI needs to develop a parallel guide for middle and high schools.

While a modest start, the CFBAI school marketing principles appear to cover only a small proportion of school food marketing.  In order for the CFBAI to be effective, companies must limit junk-food marketing for the full range of in-school marketing at all school levels- including middle and high schools- and all times of day.

Please strengthen the school advertising principles and ask member companies to update their pledges to address all food and beverage marketing in all schools.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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