Last year my family took a vacation to Disney World. I am pro-Disney, love every cheesy over the top thing about the place, and would go back annually if my husband would allow it (he won’t). But one week in Disney World is full of visual evidence of America’s obesity problem. Here in the Northeast we are somewhat insulated from the extreme nature of the obesity epidemic, but once you get into a truly American place like Disney, you see it.
The obesity epidemic interests me in every role of my life: as an American citizen, as a parent, as a person, and as a lawyer. As an American I am concerned that our weight is going to literally slow us down in every way. Our businesses won’t flourish, our athletes won’t be as competitive, and medical system will be overburdened, and we will all be left to pay for it somehow. And that is where the litigation begins, as we have already seen.
As a parent I have mixed feelings about all the obesity-related programs that have emerged for kids. I often complain about the “cupcake nazis” that have banned all food related treats in my kids’ schools. I find it ridiculous that it is dictated to me what my kids can bring for a school snack on a daily basis. I am lucky to have decent genes and very active children, so as of now, weight is not an issue for us. I want my kids to have a healthy relationship with food because the reality of my socioeconomic and educational status means that my kids are probably more likely to have eating disorders than be obese. Plus there is a general repulsion to being told what to do. Call me a libertarian on this issue.
This brings me to Disney’s announcement that as of 2015, all of its children’s TV programming will not include advertisements from companies selling unhealthy food. Think back on your days of watching cartoons and you will realize that this is a big deal; those shows are full of ads for nasty fake fruit treats, sugary cereals, and candy bars. We spent some time debating Disney’s social responsibility last semester in my ethics course. Regardless of your conclusions or feelings towards Disney, this is a bold step. Given Disney’s prominence, it can be a leader in encouraging other companies to follow suit. I am not sure it will make a huge difference in our obesity problem, but I guess every step helps.
What is your reaction to Disney’s announcement? Why are companies responsible for what kids put in their mouths anyway?
9 Comments
Anisha Vellodi posted on June 7, 2012 at 4:54 am
I actually think this is a great step for Disney to take. America’s growing levels of obesity never fail to amaze me and I feel a lot of it is due to the idea that ignorance is bliss. People see advertisements and see cheap, yummy food and just consume a lot of times without thinking. I know when I see advertisements for unhealthy food or TV shows on Food Network, I crave almost everything I see. I think it’s great for a channel like Disney, which is so popular, to come out and reject advertising unhealthy food. Although it’s true that it may not make a huge impact on the obesity issue, it’s a step in the right direction and removing advertisements for unhealthy food removes one extra avenue for temptation. Companies are definitely responsible for what kids eat because they are manufacturing goods that are incredibly unhealthy and supplying them to children from a young age. Yes, parents have the option to choose what their children eat to a certain point, but companies have complete control over what is going into products. My theory at the end of the day is that there shouldn’t be a complete end to unhealthy treats but at the same time there should be a better balance of healthier foods, especially that are quick and affordable.
Sarah Hu posted on June 7, 2012 at 11:45 am
Wow.
I would absolutely be floored and amazed, but thinking back to our Ethics class and Kant, I pause briefly to consider Disney’s motive in this act. If it is purely for the sake of the anti-obesity movement then I applaud them. But they are a for-profit company so I am skeptical of the altruistic-ness of this action. I would reserve my admiration until they “walked the talk;” I wouldn’t be surprised if discussions as to what is considered a healthy food arose, and how liberal Disney takes it.
But perhaps if they prove to be true to their word, they gain a competitive advantage strong enough to force other companies to follow suit.
TANIA PRANATAJAYA posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Disney channel is one of the most watched TV channels for children, so I think that banning ads for unhealthy food can make a change, but I am not sure as to how significant the difference would be. If many other channels start following Disney and ban ads for unhealthy food, the few channels that allow those ads, can raise their ads prices and increase revenue. Will Disney sacrifice their profits to become more ethical?
If Disney goes forward with this plan, they might want to be consistent with this health awareness program throughout the company by serving more options of healthier food at the Disney theme parks. The majority of food sold at the parks is fast food, which include churro, fried dough, corn dog, cotton candy, turkey leg, etc. Although all of food is delicious and I personally love them, they are extremely unhealthy.
David Han posted on June 11, 2012 at 3:19 pm
I find this potential move by Disney to be a rather great move in regards to their PR and reputation as a family-friendly company. I agree with the above comment, questioning their intent in regards to why they are doing this. However, I believe Disney, whether truly caring about health or not, is making a good move. Parents will be happier, and they’ll be satisfied with the additional revenues potentially earned due to further purchases from more loyal customers.
This reminds me of a move made by the government a few months ago to legally and officially declare pizza as a vegetable. I was pretty baffled by this, but there was sound explanation for why they did this. Pizza does technically have many of the nutrients found in a typical tomato, save for the fat and calories. Also, a desertion of culinary producers contributing to “school pizza” could potentially have harmed many stakeholders, including farmers, distributors, etc.
A question I have is if “bad foods” were merely outlawed by not only public companies but also the government (a recent trend), wouldn’t there need to be a mitigation of the fact that parents would typically have to spend more money to provide healthier options?
For parents that are less fortunate and are unable to provide an organic, healthy diet for their children, I wonder what the societal impacts of Disney’s move could be. What if Disney goes as far as to create commercials that are mockeries to fast-foods? Low-income families would feel an unfair burden on their conscience, and perhaps young children may feel down and question why their parents simply bring him McDonald’s every night.
Just a thought, as much as I do agree with Disney’s move.
Jenny Rozenzaft posted on June 14, 2012 at 8:10 am
As others who have commented, I question Disney’s motives. Do they truly care about the population’s health? However, disregarding the reasoning behind their decision and looking at only the outcome, I don’t really see any bad that could come of this decision. Disney is a popular channel, and children who see less enticing ads for fast food would, perhaps, be less likely to ask their parents for it. I don’t think there would be a particularly noticeable difference, though, until more channels and organizations stopped advertising fast food as well. The issue of income comes up, as some families can’t afford better-quality food (although there are cheap healthy foods, I think), but they are welcome to still eat at fast-food restaurants. Since Disney’s move is not very drastic – they are not showing ads AGAINST fast food – those who still want to eat at McDonald’s or the like will do it. Their children may just forget about the fast food while they watch tv.
Nick Li posted on June 18, 2012 at 1:23 am
I applaud Disney for its actions but it shouldn’t even have to do this in the first place. It is the parents’ responsibility to control their children’s diet and they should stop blaming others for the obesity problem. My parents allowed me to eat junk food and fast food as snacks, but our actual meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) were quite healthy, so it balanced out in the end. The problem probably lies within the starch and meat heavy cuisine that many Americans are accustomed to. That and soft drinks.
Peter H posted on June 24, 2012 at 10:26 pm
At first I said to myself “whoa, I do not agree with that move on Disney’s part” however after thinking about it a bit more, I think I have to agree. Obesity is becoming a huge issue in America and now a days, it starts with kids. Disney is taking a huge step in helping stop obesity however I am not so sure what this move on their part will actually do. In theory, kids watch Disney Channel all day and won’t be exposed to the sugary treats and partially hydrogenated snacks that we were exposed to back in the day, however eventually they’ll start watching other shows and once they are exposed to these commercials that are tailored directly to them, they’ll be waiting to try out all these fattening foods at the first instance they get. Like others said before me, Disney is a for-profit company and behind the scenes, they have to be getting something out of this. If they legitimately wanted to make a change by making a move like this, they would be urging other organizations and companies to do the same or they would use their power to try and get these kinds of foods off shelves.
joker123 deposit pulsa posted on May 3, 2020 at 6:13 am
It sure beat using the living area table, after we had piled the dishes in the sink. Roulette is one of essentially the most popular games available on casino. Everyone participate in “gaming”.
ambking posted on May 18, 2023 at 12:39 am
เล่นบาคาร่า for new gamblers Just used to use the service on our amb king website if able to apply to become a member on our website first by being able to learn And follow the steps that are told on the web page. We then tell you the steps in detail.