"Go On The Offensive," Secretary Thompson Tells Junk Food Lobby

Fri, 15 Nov 2002 08:53:31 -0800

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Commercial Alert, November 15, 2002

Commercial Alert sent a letter today to U. S. Health and Human Services
Secretary Tommy Thompson, criticizing him for urging the junk food lobby
to wage war on those who would protect children from obesity.

Secretary Thompson told members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association
(GMA) to “‘go on the offensive’ against critics blaming the food
industry for obesity,” according to a November 12 GMA news release.  GMA
members include major junk food companies such as the Coca Cola Co.,
Mars Inc., PepsiCo Inc., and Philip Morris Cos.

The letter to Secretary Thompson follows.

Dear Secretary Thompson:

It appears that you are now urging war on Americans who are fighting
obesity in children.

According to a recent release from the Grocery Manufacturers Association
(GMA), you stated as much at a recent meeting of the organization's
board.  To quote the GMA release, you "encouraged GMA members to 'go on
the offensive' against critics blaming the food industry for obesity."

This is most interesting.  As the nation's Secretary of Health and Human
Services, you might have raised some questions for the nation's
corporate food processors and dealers.  You might have asked them, for
example, why the foods they push at kids are so often high in sugar,
calories and fat, and low in vitamins and minerals -- in other words,
junk food.

You might have asked them too why they barrage kids with junk food
advertising in the first place.  After all, the Bush Administration
claims to champion the role of parents in the home.  How then could you
condone the way that giant food corporations bypass parents and speak
directly to impressionable children in order to seduce them into buying
and eating junk foods?

Many American parents would like to see you raise such questions. They
would like to see someone in Washington with the character and gumption
to stand up to an industry that is constantly luring their kids.
Instead you have told the food corporations exactly what they want to
hear – that the problem is their critics and not themselves.

To deny that the junk food industry, and its artillery of marketing, has
any role in the epidemic of childhood obesity is as absurd as the size
of the soft money contributions that some GMA members made to the
Republican Party during the 2002 election cycle.

You are currently under the employ of the United States Government; you
are not a cheerleader for the likes of Philip Morris and Coca-Cola.  If
you cannot promote the health of our nation’s children, or conceive of
serving them and not the junk food industry, then it is time for you to
clean out your desk, and join the corporate lobbyists on K Street.

Sincerely,

Gary Ruskin
Executive Director
Commercial Alert

<-------letter ends here------->

The November 12 Grocery Manufacturers Association news release is
available at:
<http://www.gmabrands.com/news/docs/NewsRelease.cfm?DocID=1028&amp;>.

Commercial Alert's mission is to keep the commercial culture within its
proper sphere, and to prevent it from exploiting children and subverting
the higher values of family, community, environmental integrity and
democracy. Commercial Alert has more than 1,500 members representing all
50 states and the District of Columbia. To become a member, see our
website at <http://www.commercialalert.org>.

Commercial Alert's materials are distributed via our email list. To
subscribe, go to
<http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/commercial-alert>, or send
a blank message to <subscribe@commercialalert.org>. Subscribers receive
1-2 emails per week.

This note is posted at:
<http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/commercial-alert/2002/000126.html>.

--
Gary Ruskin | gary@commercialalert.org
Commercial Alert | http://www.commercialalert.org/
Congressional Accountability Project |
http://www.congressproject.org/
phone: 503.235.8012 | fax: 503.235.5073

Commercial Alert
4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd. #123
Portland, OR 97214

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<html>
Commercial Alert, November 15, 2002
Commercial Alert sent a letter today to U.
S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, criticizing him
for urging the junk food lobby to wage war on those who would protect children
from obesity.
Secretary Thompson told members of the Grocery
Manufacturers Association (GMA) to “‘go on the offensive’ against critics
blaming the food industry for obesity,” according to a November 12 GMA
news release.&nbsp; GMA members include major junk food companies such
as the Coca Cola Co., Mars Inc., PepsiCo Inc., and Philip Morris Cos.
The letter to Secretary Thompson follows.
Dear Secretary Thompson:
It appears that you are now urging war on
Americans who are fighting obesity in children.
According to a recent release from the Grocery
Manufacturers Association (GMA), you stated as much at a recent meeting
of the organization's board.&nbsp; To quote the GMA release, you "encouraged
GMA members to 'go on the offensive' against critics blaming the food industry
for obesity."
This is most interesting.&nbsp; As the nation's
Secretary of Health and Human Services, you might have raised some questions
for the nation's corporate food processors and dealers.&nbsp; You might
have asked them, for example, why the foods they push at kids are so often
high in sugar, calories and fat, and low in vitamins and minerals -- in
other words, junk food.
You might have asked them too why they barrage
kids with junk food advertising in the first place.&nbsp; After all, the
Bush Administration claims to champion the role of parents in the home.&nbsp;
How then could you condone the way that giant food corporations bypass
parents and speak directly to impressionable children in order to seduce
them into buying and eating junk foods?
Many American parents would like to see you
raise such questions. They would like to see someone in Washington with
the character and gumption to stand up to an industry that is constantly
luring their kids.&nbsp; Instead you have told the food corporations exactly
what they want to hear – that the problem is their critics and not themselves.
To deny that the junk food industry, and its
artillery of marketing, has any role in the epidemic of childhood obesity
is as absurd as the size of the soft money contributions that some GMA
members made to the Republican Party during the 2002 election cycle.
You are currently under the employ of the
United States Government; you are not a cheerleader for the likes of Philip
Morris and Coca-Cola.&nbsp; If you cannot promote the health of our nation’s
children, or conceive of serving them and not the junk food industry, then
it is time for you to clean out your desk, and join the corporate lobbyists
on K Street.
Sincerely,
Gary Ruskin
 Executive Director
 Commercial Alert
&lt;-------letter ends here------->
The November 12 Grocery Manufacturers Association
news release is available at: &lt;<a href="http://www.gmabrands.com/news/docs/NewsRelease.cfm?DocID=1028&">http://www.gmabrands.com/news/docs/NewsRelease.cfm?DocID=1028&amp;amp</a>;>.
Commercial Alert's mission is to keep the
commercial culture within its proper sphere, and to prevent it from exploiting
children and subverting the higher values of family, community, environmental
integrity and democracy. Commercial Alert has more than 1,500 members representing
all 50 states and the District of Columbia.&nbsp; To become a member, see
our website at &lt;<a href="http://www.commercialalert.org">http://www.commercialalert.org</a>>.
Commercial Alert's materials are distributed
via our email list. To subscribe, go to &lt;<a href="http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/commercial-alert">http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/commercial-alert</a>>,
or send a blank message to &lt;<a href="mailto:subscribe@commercialalert.org">subscribe@commercialalert.org</a>>.&nbsp;
Subscribers receive 1-2 emails per week.
This note is posted at: &lt;<a href="http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/commercial-alert/2002/000126.html">http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/commercial-alert/2002/000126.html</a>>.
 --
 Gary Ruskin | gary@commercialalert.org
 Commercial Alert | <a href="http://www.commercialalert.org/">http://www.commercialalert.org/</a>
 Congressional Accountability Project |
 <a href="http://www.congressproject.org/">http://www.congressproject.org/</a>
 phone: 503.235.8012 | fax: 503.235.5073
Commercial Alert
 4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd. #123
 Portland, OR 97214</html>

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