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April 26, 2007
Contact: Josh Golin (617.278.4172;
jgolin@jbcc.harvard.edu)
For Immediate Release
CCFC to Health and Human Services: Fire Shrek
Conflict of Interest between Marketing Junk Food and
Promoting Public Health
Citing the numerous junk food promotions linked to Dreamworks’
May 18th release of Shrek the Third, the
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has launched a
letter-writing campaign
to urge the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS) to remove Shrek from his role as
spokescharacter for the department’s healthy lifestyles and
childhood obesity campaign.
CCFC found seventeen separate food promotions for Shrek the
Third featuring more than seventy different products,
most of which are for energy-dense, low-nutrient foods. Many of
the promotions are targeted directly to preschoolers and
children as young as two.
“There is an inherent conflict of interest between marketing
junk food and promoting public health,” said CCFC’s co-founder
Dr. Susan Linn. “Surely Health and Human Services can find a
better spokesperson for healthy living than a character that is
a walking advertisement for McDonald’s, sugary cereals, cookies,
and candy.” The Institute of Medicine has recommended that the
food industry stop using media characters to promote junk food
to young children.
In
February, HHS joined with Dreamworks and the Ad Council’s
Coalition for Healthy Children to launch a series of Shrek-themed
public service announcements (PSAs) as part of HHS’ “Small Step”
Childhood Obesity Prevention campaign. The PSAs were widely
cited as evidence that the food and marketing industries were
changing their tactics and committed to promoting healthy
eating. But Shrek’s dual role as an anti-obesity icon and junk
food pitchman highlights the hypocrisy inherent in relying on
food companies to safeguard children’s health. The food and
advertising industries hope to fend off regulation by garnering
praise for symbolic gestures, even as they continue to bombard
children with junk food promotions.
The
Ad Council’s Coalition for Healthy Children includes Kellogg and
Pepsico, both of whom have their own Shrek promotions.
Masterfoods, which was widely lauded when it recently announced
it would stop marketing to children under twelve, is using
Shrek to promote M&M’s, Snickers, and Skittles on
television, on the Internet, and on its “ogre-sized” packaging.
Other foods linked to the movie include McDonald’s Happy Meals,
Kellogg's Marshmallow Froot Loops cereal, Keebler E.L.
FudgeDouble Stuffed cookies, and Kellogg's Frosted S'Mores Pop
Tarts.
“Why would young children follow Shrek’s advice about healthy
living and ignore his entreaties to eat Happy Meals and Pop
Tarts?” said Dr. Linn. “If government agencies are serious about
combating childhood obesity, they should stop cozying up to
industry and start taking real steps to end the barrage of junk
food marketing aimed at children. The sheer volume of unhealthy
food being marketed to children by Shrek is a clear indication
that food companies – despite recent proclamations -- are not
going to stop marketing energy-dense, low-nutrient foods to
children on their own.”
A complete list of Shrek the Third
food promotions is available at
http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/shrekfood.htm.
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