Cartoon Character: Pitchman of Junkfood

                In the United States, foods and beverages spend about $1.6 billion dollars a year to attract children’s attention in their advertisement and packaging. For example, a license image like Shrek which is wildly appreciated in the world because of its movies has been widely used as a pitchman for snacks. It has been proven adept at selling foods to kids. Another one is Sponge bob Square Pants, also associated in other countries for endorsing fruits and vegetables like spinach, carrots, fruits, and is blindingly used as a hawking for popsicles. It can be betraying that children can perceive candies as healthy snack when their favorite character also endorses a something nutritious like fruits and vegetables.

                This is something to watch out for among parents. These products attack the limitation of children’s cognitive mind. Something that children couldn’t think of whether these snacks are good or bad. It is so alarming for health experts around the world in large part because licensed characters appear most often on junk foods.

                In the Philippines, the government highlighted the difficulty of monitoring and enforcement as a barrier in introducing regulation on marketing food to children. In a Department of Education Order no.8, issued February 6, 2007 included provisions requiring public school canteens and cafeterias, under paragraph 4.4 and 4.5 to sell only snack with the Sangkap Pinoy Seal and to sell only food approved by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) and other healthy foods. It is prohibited to sell carbonated drinks, and sugar-based colored juices. But is this order followed by all schools? Is it really possible to eliminate junk food in the diet of schoolchildren when it’s accessible in school?

                We, parents must keep an eye on the food that our children take. However, it’s hard to monitor especially for a working mother like me. Reality bites, marketer’s magnet our kids to patronize their products by using a cartoon character that persuades them to consume more empty snacks. Parents must be aware about the possible dangers that our children would face if the situation will continue. Posing health hazards like obesity, diabetes, heart attack and lack of appetite might surface in the long run. Like what they say “What you eat is what you are.” Everything you invest inside your system is what you will harvest gradually. Let us not allow it to happen among our children. Better to take early steps regarding this problem.

                Instead of giving grade schoolchildren money to school why don’t you make an easy to prepare healthy snack as their “baon.” Preparing home-made sandwich and extracting some “calamansi” fruits as a healthy juice can be good alternative than fast food or readily made snack or beverage.

                 Marketers profit from using cartoon characters in junk food for their packaging and you, parent, would benefit if you invest right. Not on these junk foods but investing for the good health of your child by giving them the right food for proper nutrition. Starting them young on healthy snacks would be part of lifestyle until the time that they themselves have children of their own.