My daughter is currently working with one of our State Senators to get direct to consumer drug advertising banned. You've seen all of the commercials promising a beautiful life, followed by someone talking in a soothing voice about all of the side affects. Most of the time, we aren't even told what the drug is for.. just contact your doctor and ask about <insert drug name here>. Cigarette commercials and billboard ads were stopped years ago. Why not food commercials. Fifty percent of America is now overweight, and I think I read that 30% is obese. Yet try to watch tv without being bombarded by fast food commercials, or Betty Crocker and Pop-n-Fresh tempting you with images of your family loving you for feeding them this crap. Anyway, that's my gripe for the day. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Scroll up to vote.

I don't agree with bans on advertising. food has been advertised for as long as there were ads. It is only in this day and age that people are having obesity issues. That is more of a society issue than an advertisment issues. I am even against the bans on cig ads. And am happy that (even though they take up half the phone book and most time on daytime tv) lawyers and hospitals can now advertise. I think the issue is not with the people providing the food and there by advertising, but with the fact that we have become a fast food and preservative junky society. The food companies advertise and make lots of money because of our obesity issues. They do not cause them.

At least that is my opinion. :party:

For me, Im a visual learner, I learn by watching things, people etc. My view may be a bit differen than others, but this is just how I think:

How many times have we all heard about teaching our children things, we need to reinforce it over and over and over?

hmmm what messages are advertising and billboards etc that we ALL see over and over send us?

food is not an addiction for me, Ive never been one to overeat, Im just lazy and made bad food choices lol

I think the right advertising is very essential to our society and could help us - think if they totally turned around their advertising avenues what they could do with eating right, exercise, being healthy etc.

But hey I don't get paid to sit around write jingles and ads :confused:

I think if we see things, hear things and have it thrown in our daily lives over and over and over, that it subconciously affects us?

We as adults have the capacity to "make the right and wrong" decisions but children do not. When they reach a certain age, they have an inner "right and wrong" feeling but not enough experience and wisdom to do it.

If they watch tv, listen to the radio or even see clothing - they are exposed to all of these ads.

So let's just lock em all up and keep em in the dark until they're 30 lol j/k

Each and every one of us are accountable for our own actions and consequences those actions bring.

Our children need to learn this also - some like my obstinate 19 year old daughter never learned this lesson; even when she had to repeat the consequences over and over -

Is this really fair? You have basically have a yes, yes, unsure yes, and ONE no? Seems biased to me.

Non-diet sodas to be pulled from schools

Major beverage companies sign deal with anti-obesity advocates

Updated: 10:27 a.m. ET May 3, 2006

NEW YORK - Tens of millions of students will no longer be able to buy non-diet sodas in the nation’s public schools under an agreement announced Wednesday between major beverage distributors and anti-obesity advocates.

The distributors, working with a joint initiative of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, also have agreed to sell only Water, juice and low-fat milks to elementary and middle schools, said Jay Carson, a spokesman for former President Clinton.

Here's the link from MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12604166/

you can read the rest of the story there.

Is this really fair? You have basically have a yes, yes, unsure yes, and ONE no? Seems biased to me.

Hmm... well, no. What it actually says is ban ALL food ads. Ban ONLY fast food ads. Ban NO ads. Not sure.

At the time I thought it was a fairly good spread of options. Why did you think it was biased?

Non-diet sodas to be pulled from schools

Major beverage companies sign deal with anti-obesity advocates

Super! Now if we can get them to stop serving french fries, pizza, etc and telling us that ketchup qualifies as a vegetable serving! Did you know that about one third of the calories in ketchup are from sugar?

Oh dear... don't get me started! *laughs*

I also think it is our responsibility as parents to teach our kids what is ok and what is not. Many FF companies are seeing that SUBWAY is making a killing with their healthy options. Wendy's now has tons of healthy options on their menu such as fruit, yougurt, salads, chili, ham sandwiches, ect.... Now as a mom when we do hit the ff resturants for a quick dinner, I make my children pick one thing they want and one thing they need. Ex: chicken nuggets, apple dips vs fries, and milk or juice. Never any coke in my home diet or not, it all bad for you. I also think if we continue to buy the healthy choices at these resturants, they will be forced to make better menus and stop serving all the crap.

We are the people who allow the commercials to work, and make the companies tons of money, by buying all the junk. There will always be advertising! If you don't like what they are advertising do something about it. Look what one man did by making the doc. "SUPER SIZE ME" Although mcdonalds never admitted any wrong doing they pulled the super size option from the menu. They longer offer it.

So I guess I am voting "NO" don't pull the commercials. Its the american way. If they pulled commercials for everything that was bad for us, there would be no commercials at all. Not that I watch them anyways, tivo is the best invention EVER.. LOL

Just my opinion!!!

This is a very interesting thread. Being a little older than most I probably have a different perspective on things. First, my child was raised with high tops not tennis shoes, sandals, etc. that today's children wear. We thought this was the right thing to do. Fast foods were just coming out. I was not raised with FF, nor could we have afforded them if they were available. I didn't take my child to FF restaurants very often. It just wasn't something I wanted to do or spend our money on. We are in such a hurry these days and always looking for the easy things - that's what makes FF restaurants so appealing. When we were forced to eat out we didn't have french fries or shakes etc. because they were too expensive. I don't eat much from FF restaurants because it just isn't something I do. My son's generation can't live without FF.

How does an average family afford this? They opt for fast rather than value. Families on a budget will tell you that they are forced to buy carbs and other high fat foods because they go further and are cheaper. How do we provide a more healthy diet that is affordable?

When I went to school we didn't have vending machines. We were not allowed to bring sodas from home for our lunch. We took thermoses with hot Soup and a sandwich and a piece of fruit. It's the values of our parents that set the tone.

What this all comes to is education. When everyone went on a low carb diet what happened? Restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores started finding other alternatives to the high carb items. It worked. People made other choices.

An active campaign, education, will go further than a ban. Giving people the knowledge to make better choices and providing better choices, will help.

Now what about all those commercials to lose weight. We are now bombarded with Lapband surgery, diet company alternatives, healthy products, etc. Don't you think that advertisers recognize a growing trend? Americans are obsessed with weight - too much, too little.

I think we won't have to worry about commercials for much longer anyway. Anyone read that they are going to start incorporating ads into regular tv programs? Bring back cig and beer commercials? No...I wouldn't bring them back. I have never seen a commerical telling anyone that eating a Big Mac will make them cool- ya know like smoking and drinking does. I am a firm believer that soda of all kinds needs to stay out of school. Get rid of the vending machines, hire some nice old lady to man a snack center......save the kids, and give a human a job! I work at an elementary school and sometimes I work as a cafeteria aid. I happend to sub for my neighbors kid's lunch aid. Heres the story: Dad doesn't want him to gain weight (yea the kid is pudgy) dad doesn't have an ounce of fat and jogs and works out in the garage. So the kid brings lunch everyday for fear that he will get heavier..it is: tuna in a container...carrots, and one of those squeeze drinks..not a box the yucky all sugar ones. Okay so Zach doesn't like tuna without bread, the carrots are loaded with sugar so if he isn't burning it off-its still bad, and omg don't get me started on the squeeze thing--all sugar!! But Zach gets cart money every day so he can buy a snack if he finishes his lunch. They have salad, hard boiled eggs, ice cream, and chips. Every single day for 6 weeks...Zach ate half the lunch-threw it out- and bought 2 bags of Doritos...every day!!! He explained to me that dad doesn't let him have them at home,but mom gives him money. This is exactly why I became certified as in sports nutrition, and holistic health, and personal trainer....I was sending the wrong message to my daughter in attempt to lose weight!! So are Zach's parents!! I finally told the mom about Zach's doritos habit. I wasn't sure if I should but being we socialize I figured it was my place and if my daughter did that, I'd want to know. So its all in our education and what we tell our kids. Yeah it might look good on TV..hell they could use my name in an add, that sure doesn't mean I am going to run right out and buy it. I let my kids indulge from time to time....but they are eating the balance in healthy too!!! My 9yr old had chocolate the other night, and the next night I found her eating broccoli as a snack.......and i make sure she plays outside every day. Zach eats crap and sits in front of the tv all day. I see this pattern in my own relatives and their kids. My kids are thin and healty.......all because of me (and my hubby of course..lol) We do eat pizza and occasionally chinese food... and McDonalds ...we are human. I don't want to keep my kids from something to the point that they crave it (like Zach). My kids have asked if they were going to grow up fat, and I told them not if they take care of themselves and make the right choices. We control the well being of the kids.... not the food industry!

Thanks for listening!

*stepping down off that soap box now*

Forget the kids, remove the food ads from the shows I watch!!!

That is why I love reading and watching DVD movies. No food commercials.

Maybe that is the way to control children's viewing. Only let them view recorded programs where the commercials have been zapped.

I know my 8 year old can't drive (good thing) but he certainly does WANT everything he sees on tv - as all kids do - it does NOT help that he knows every jingle he hears on tv for food -- sorry - but even though he loves me he must 'wonder' why Mom wants him to eat healthy while the rest of the world keeps pushing fast food! That's 'my' 2 cents

Still being a young adult, I do look at commercials and want what I see. Its ok to want and even to have in MODERATION. These days, all we see is VALUE MEALS- lets add French Fries to a TRIPLE cheeseburger and oh lets have a milkshake for 5 dollars... buy just a regular cheeseburger for 4 dollars... oh the VALUE! Its really sad to see the change in America's society. My high school had homemade Cookies for sale EVERY afternoon for only a dollar.. and guess what I had... 3 gigantic homemade cookies. on the walk home (across one street and I was home)

I certainly didn't realize how many food commercials there are until right after banding, and I wish I didn't see them-- but I think that they have a right to show them. I just wish there was more nutritional information available on the commericials and the MENUS!

OH AND HAVE YOU SEEN THE COMMERCIALS FOR THE BK STACKERS? ALL meat AND cheese AND NO VEGIES? I mean, COME-on!!!! ewwww

My husband owns his own Vending company - Snack-tyme Vending. He is the man who puts all the vending & pop machines in the schools. 3 years ago, he was asked to put in some healthy alternatives in the vending machines. He was happy to do it. He added in apples, oranges, crackers & cheese, celery & carrots with dip, Water, juice.....etc. After 2 weeks, the food went bad. He took it as a loss & put in more. He even asked for requests from the students & teachers. After a full 2 months, he pulled out the healthy stuff because nobody was buying it.

I agree that vending machines can be bad news at schools. However, the machines are requested by the adults!

Education is the key!!!!!