It's not right that kids have to beat back a sea of ads in school of all places, where they should be free to focus on that English paper, whether they forgot to prep for a biology quiz, and who's sitting where at lunch. Isn't that stress enough without having to filter out ads from corporate food processors-- who, unlike most parents and teachers, don't have kids' best interests at heart? In fact, the stress is probably what makes advertising in school attractive to junk food marketers. Want to do something about it? You can. There's an opportunity to improve the standards of the ads that can be shown to kids at school. Here's more on that from Monifa Bandele, my colleague at MomsRising.org: http://www.momsrising.org/blog/no-more-junk-ads
What the what!? There is too much junk food marketing in our schools. It's enough to have to deal with junk food marketing pretty much everywhere else. But in school! Kids certainly shouldn't be juggling reading, writing, and junk food marketing in every hall of our public schools!
Join us to get standards for junk food marketing in our schools: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/LWP/
Unfortunately, there are still no national standards about what can, and cannot, be advertised to kids in schools. That's right: None. This means that in some cases, kids are offered one snack while being encouraged through marketing to eat another junkier one.
Providing healthier snacks at school has been shown to help kids make healthier choices all day long. However, advertisements are powerful. So having a school offer healthier choices in vending machines and a la carte lines while at the same time promoting unhealthy choices through junk food marketing can be confusing to say the least.
It's hard enough for an adult to make the right decision when bombarded with marketing. Children are even more vulnerable to aggressive marketing. It is difficult for young children to even tell the differencebetween ads and programs when watching television shows.
Healthy schools must not only serve healthy food, they must also promote healthy options! Let's make sure that the USDA Local School Wellness Policy helps make the school environment healthier all around: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/LWP/
Why do we need to get junk and junk ads out of schools?
Progress is being made, but we are still in the midst of a serious children's health crisis. Today, 23 million children in the United States are at greater risk for nutrition-related illnesses like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure because they are overweight or obese. We know that schools and the school environment play a tremendous role in what foods and beverages children eat and drink, as well as the choices they make when they leave school.
Last year, MomsRising.org members like you were among the 250,000 people who successfully spoke up in support of healthier standards for snacks sold in school vending machines and a la carte lines. It was an amazing victory, and this coming school year those new Smart Snacks standards go into effect. We must keep up the MOMentum!
Let's keep the pressure on and turn the page on this health crisis by making healthier messages an all-day affair for kids in schools! Sign on here: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/LWP/
Together, we are a strong force for women and families!
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