I don’t see this happening anytime soon, but… A new study finds banning fast-food advertising on TV in the U.S. could reduce the number of overweight children by as much as 18 percent. But the report’s authors at the National Bureau of Economic Research question whether it would be practical to make this happen – so far, only Sweden, Norway and Finland have done this. To give you an idea of just how many unhealthy ads kids see, check out this report on advertisements for unhealthy foods during children’s programming.

Related posts

• News Nugget: Growing number of overweight kids on meds
• Treeswing: Making a Healthy Difference
• Small changes = fewer overweight kids in Philadelphia schools
• News Nugget: Overweight preschoolers have signs of heart disease
• News Nugget: Lots of TV and Web bad for kids’ health

It’s more than just a few television ads – marketing food and drinks to children these days includes promotional displays at grocery stores and packaging that directs them to websites where they can play games, win prizes or send e-cards.

A new report from the Federal Trade Commission finds the nation’s largest food and beverage companies spent about $1.6 billion in 2006 marketing their products to children. The report stems from the concern about childhood obesity.

Related posts

• News Nugget: Top chains serving up childhood obesity, says CSPI
• News Nugget: France may raise tax on fatty foods
• Whole wheat versus whole grain foods – Which is better?
• Saturday morning TV feeds kids buffet of unhealthy ads
• News Nugget: Veggies at Dunkin’ Donuts?