Clever Currents

Pushing Sugar – Breakfast Food Industry Tries Self-Regulation

Newspapers across the U.S. carried this story last month: the Kellogg Company announced that they will discontinue advertising products that contain more than 12 grams of sugar per serving, 2 grams of saturated fat or 200 calories during children's television programming. What's behind this decision? Two advocacy groups, including Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, were preparing a lawsuit against Kellogg and Nickelodeon under a Massachusetts law that limits the marketing of junk food to kids. After a year of negotiations, the food giant agreed to these terms and the lawsuit plans were dropped. What does this mean to you? There are four grams in a teaspoon of sugar or a single sugar cube. Because of the work done by CCFC, your child is much less likely to see an ad for Cocoa Krispies and dozens of other sugar-laden products.



The Blue Lake take on it:
First, we salute the people at Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood for showing that grassroots organizations can impact influential corporate behavior. Now, about that sugar… it's easy to do your homework online. Market leaders Kellogg and General Mills do a good job of making nutrition information available. Note the serving size – higher sugar content cereal servings often report smaller portions (¾ cup) than less sugary choices (1 cup). FYI, a single unfrosted Blueberry Pop-Tart has 18 grams of sugar. Eight ounces of Sprite (two-thirds of a can) has 26 grams of sugar. And 100% real fruit juice? Eight ounces of some popular choices: orange juice (22g), apple juice (26g), grape juice (38g). And finally, the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley has a fun set of activities for kids to explore sugar in their lives.


The Kid's Menu – enough with the Chicken Nuggets!

A funny column titled Don't Point That Menu at My Child, Please by David Kamp, a writer for Vanity Fair, GQ and The New York Times makes this point: "In short, I came to the realization that America is in the grips of a nefarious chicken-finger pandemic, in which a blandly tasty foodstuff has somehow become the de facto official nibble of our young." Kamp explores how this came to be (1983: McDonald's launches McNugget) and who is fighting back. Tony Miller at Latitude 41 (Columbus, OH) told Kamp: "Our kid's menu features zero fried foods. We do grilled organic chicken teriyaki, a seared fillet of whatever fish is in season, and a four-ounce fillet of natural beef with smashed potatoes. I have not received a single negative reaction from adults or kids. Not one. The kids say ‘Man, that's the best steak I've ever eaten!'."


The Blue Lake take on it:
We asked Duskie Estes and John Stewart (chef/owners of Zazu and Bovolo restaurants in Sonoma Valley's wine country) and parents of Brydie and MacKenzie (young subscribers to Tessy & Tab) what they think and what they offer. Their own daughters define the spectrum: one eats stinky cheeses, pig heart and olives, and the other eats only white rice, fruit and french fries. As chefs, they say that a basic kid's menu makes it easy for kids to get something and parents to enjoy a restaurant. If you don't see something you like on the kid's menu, ask for a kid's portion from the adult menu. Here are Seven Tips for Eating Out With Kids by the author of Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids.