Walt Disney Co announced that it will abandon junk food advertising, seeking to help decrease childhood obesity.
Walt Disney Co, owner of ABC and a number of cable channels, will stop accepting certain junk food advertisements for children on television and radio shows and on internet sites, it announced.
The United States faces an obesity epidemic. Nearly a third of the nation’s children are overweight or obese, and a report from the Institute of Medicine noted that the marketing of junk food contributed to increasing childhood obesity.
The Disney initiative is in line with the announcement by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg of a plan to ban sugary beverages that exceed half a liter in most restaurants, theaters, kiosks and vending machines across the country. city.
The ban, which would affect beverage sales from giants like McDonald’s Corp, has sparked fuss among soft drink makers, many of whom support the application of nutritional but voluntary measures.
Disney plans to cut advertising during children’s programming on its networks like ABC and Disney XD, and on its children’s websites, for foods that do not meet the minimum nutritional requirements.
The media and entertainment conglomerate introduced voluntary guides in 2006 that banned advertising with Mickey Mouse and other Disney food characters that did not meet minimum nutritional requirements.
The guidelines set limits on the amount of calories, fat, and added sugar for foods and treats.
Last year, America’s top food and beverage manufacturers, including Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, and Kellogg Co, agreed voluntary nutritional criteria for products advertised for children.