Comment Number: 529477-00007
Received: 5/17/2007 7:11:43 PM
Organization: Healthy Eating, Active Communities
Commenter: Jennifer Miller
State: CA
Agency: Federal Trade Commission
Rule: Food Industry Marketing Practices to Children and Adolescents
Attachments:529477-00007.pdf Download Adobe Reader

Comments:

May 10, 2007 Federal Trade Commission Office of the Secretary Room H-135 (Annex J) 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Office of Management and Budget Re: Food Industry Marketing to Children Report: Paperwork Comment; FTC File No. P064504 Dear FTC Commissioners: We are writing to support and encourage the Federal Trade Commission to move forward with its request for information from 44 major food and beverage companies and quick service restaurants about their marketing practices and expenditures directed to children and adolescents. The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) extensive study, Food Marketing to Children and Adolescents: Threat or Opportunity?, found that marketing of foods and beverages has an impact on children’s food preferences, requests and consumption habits. While these conclusions are strong, there is still much we don’t know about how companies are targeting children and adolescents with food and beverage marketing. Because of the impact food marketing has on children’s health we need to know the full nature and extent of the means and mechanisms being used to target our children. We, the undersigned, are members of Healthy Eating, Active Communities (HEAC), a statewide program with local collaboratives in six California communities representing 480,634 people, and of the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP), a program with community councils for each of the six counties of the San Joaquin Valley representing 872,377 people. We are working to improve children’s food and physical activity environments to improve their health now and in the future. We are very concerned about the marketing and advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages to children and adolescents and encourage you to pursue your investigation. Thank you for taking this action. Baldwin Park HEAC Collaborative, Site Coordinator Rosa Soto, 626-961-1179 Chula Vista HEAC Collaborative, Site Coordinator Tanya Rovira-Osterwalder, 619-691-8801 Santa Ana HEAC Collaborative, Site Coordinator Leah Fraser, PhD, 714-542-7792 South Shasta County HEAC Collaborative, Site Coordinator Michele Erickson, 530-378-6060 South Los Angeles HEAC Collaborative, Site Coordinator Aurora Flores, 323-235-6343, x129 Oakland HEAC Collaborative, Site Coordinator Chris Shaw, 510-595-6439 Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP), Regional Program Coordinator Genoveva Islas-Hooker, 559-228-2159 Following the leadership of the community collaboratives and councils of HEAC and CCROPP, the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII), a collaboration of public health officials, senior managers and staff from eight bay area public health departments endorses the sentiments expressed in the letter. From our vantage in public health, we, too, are working to improve children’s food and physical activity environments to improve their health now and in the future. We, too, encourage you to pursue your investigation. BARHII, Bob Prentice, Director, on behalf of BARHII health departments. 510-302-3321 HEAC Communities: Baldwin Park: The City of Baldwin Park in Los Angeles County is located in the San Gabriel Valley about 20 minutes inland from downtown L.A. The city, which began as an agricultural region in the 1860’s, is today a suburb of 75,837 residents. The city’s population is predominantly young (63% of the population is under the age of 35) and Hispanic (79%). Over 32% of the city’s children are overweight and 41% are considered physically “unfit.” West Chula Vista: West Chula Vista has a population of approximately 80,000, predominantly Latino, with sizable white, African American, and some Asian/Pacific Islander populations. It is an area with high levels of poverty, ethnic diversity, and a large number of young children. 36% of the students in the Southern Region of San Diego are overweight, which makes it one of the most highly affected areas in California. Santa Ana: Santa Ana has 61,363 residents, 68% of which are living at or below twice the federal poverty level. It is over 90% Latino. Thirty-four percent of Santa Ana youth are overweight or obese. South Shasta County: South Shasta County is primarily rural, and includes the City of Anderson and the unincorporated communities of Cottonwood and Happy Valley. The area has a population of 43,224 predominantly white residents, with also sizable Hispanic and Native American population. South Los Angeles: The South Los Angeles HEAC collaborative addresses the communities living the in 90007 and 90011 zip codes, with a total population of 146,235. This area is predominantly Latino (60%), and with significant numbers of African American (12%), Asian (11%) and white (16%) residents as well. Between 33-37% of the children are overweight and 48-54% are not physically fit. Neighborhoods in this area are noted for a preponderance of fast food outlets and lack of access to safe spaces for physical activity. Oakland: The San Antonio community in Oakland is rich in cultural and linguistic diversity. Asian and Pacific Islanders comprise the largest proportion (41%) of the community, followed by African Americans (24%), Latinos (23%) and whites (8%). Fitnessgram results for the 9 target schools in the San Antonio community indicated that 25% of fifth, seventh, and ninth graders were overweight, while 80% were physically “unfit.” CCROPP region: San Joaquin Valley: The San Joaquin Valley is comprised of an area in Central California extending over 27,000 miles. The area is culturally and ethnically diverse. A predominantly rural area, it nevertheless has a rapidly growing population that, overall, exceeds 3.2 million people, including approximately one million children. One quarter to one third of the children ages 0-17 live in poverty. The Valley grapples with high rates of overweight and obesity.