(photo by Susan Tango)

The fight against America's epidemic of childhood obesity may be entering a new and more hopeful phase. In a move that's bound to influence the other food titans that market junk food to kids, Kellogg has announced it will immediately curtail the advertising of unhealthy foods aimed at children.

According to an article from WebMD, Kellogg, "...the world's largest breakfast cereal manufacturer, said it would cut the sugar, fat, and sodium content of food it markets to children under 12 years of age. Foods that don't meet the new standards will no longer be advertised to kids on television, radio, the Internet, or in print."

The trade journal Advertising Age reports that the giant food companies spend as much as $1 billion a year marketing unhealthy foods to kids. Anyone who's spent some time watching Saturday morning programming and its accompanying ads will find that figure easy to believe.

WebMD reports that Kellogg was facing a lawsuit in Massachusetts brought by a group of advocacy organizations and individuals alleging that its marketing practices were illegal under the state's laws. The group has dropped its lawsuit in light of the company's announcement.

A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation on the role of media in childhood obesity found that the typical child sees about 40,000 ads a year on TV, and that the majority of ads targeted to kids are for candy, cereal, soda and fast food. Many of the advertising and marketing campaigns enlist children's favorite TV and movie characters: from SpongeBob Cheez-Its to Scooby-Doo cereals and Teletubbies Happy Meals. The report cites research indicating that exposure to food advertising affects children's food choices and requests for products in the supermarket.

If you'd like to read the full article from WebMD cited above go to: Kellogg Cuts Junk-Food Pitch to Kids

If you'd like to read more about the foundation report cited above go to: Kaiser Family Foundation

To see a previous post on marketing junk food to children go to: Selling to Kids