Junk food advertising and kids

If parents pack a healthy lunch for their kiddos at school, will they trade their food for less-healthy alternatives (or, is that just what they do in movies?).

I don't know...just curious to hear from moms, dads and guardians on this one. How much control do we, as care takers, really have when our children are at school or at a friends' house?

Don't we have enough taxes? It's getting to the point at which people have nothing left to pay the bills. Add up the total amount of taxes you pay: income (Federal, State if applicable), sales, property, luxury if applicable, gas, vice, etc. It will be astonishing! To add one more tax on one more level of food is ridiculous.

I agree with the idea of having programs in place to educate people in making healthy choices.

Government regulation, including limiting advertising to increasing "sin taxes" is a hot debate!

On one hand:
Government has long history of increasing taxes on products that are "unhealthy", i.e., alcohol and tobacco. Why would junk food be any different, when health care costs are rising from obesity and related lifestyle diseases, and US deaths from obesity are increasing at a rate higher than that of cigarette smoking?

On the other hand:
Defining "junk food" is almost impossible (as my earlier statement: would kid's cereal be considered junk?!). Higher taxes, or less advertising, don't necessarily equate to behavior change, and we should have more programs in place to help the individual make healthy choices.

Where do you stand on this issue?

Interesting question...even *if* there were some regulation on advertising junk food, would kid's cereals be defined as a "junk food"? Some children's cereals have as much as 40% sugar by weight! yikes!

I would expect government to overturn the decision to define ketchup as a food before showing the audacity to intervene in advertising junk food to kids. I believe the parent should assume responsibility for teaching their children good health habits; that government should provide good information; that schools should be able to provide healthful meals. Junk food may be a huge contributor to obesity in children; however, let's look first to the parent to take the lead in educating the child. Let's educate the parent. Let's not become the manifestation of Brave New World.