Have you ever heard of The Fast food Song? Apparently this song used to be taught to kids in school. Yikes! Clever? Yes. Catchy? Yes. Horrible for teaching our children about health and nutrition? Absolutely. Thank goodness schools have since abandoned this mind-numbing song, but marketing unhealthy foods to children remains a stronghold in advertising today. Catchy commercials and ‘superhero’ product endorsements are widely and greedily used tactics by big corporations to target our children. These companies spend millions upon millions of dollars in advertising. They pay BIG money to bait our children with popular cartoon characters and bright colors. They pay BIG money hiring scientists to manipulate and chemically alter foods to get our kids wanting more and more and more. I get it. It’s not a conspiracy. These companies have an agenda and their agenda is to sell their product. Bottom line. Children are the perfect target. They are gullible, easy to manipulate, and have the potential to become customers for life. Cha’ching!
Are these companies to blame for intentionally creating habits that will condemn our children to a lifetime of ill health, including but not limited to obesity, diabetes, and mood disorders? Or should our focus be put solely on us as parents? Have we become a nation of brainwashed fools who aren’t educated enough to understand the difference between whole foods full of nutrition and over-processed junk?
Are we being outsmarted by these big corporations? Are we raising an entire generation of junk food junkies? Shrek sells. Spongebob sells. Scooby-doo sells. But who’s buying????
Over-processed foods make-up eighty to ninety percent of our supermarket shelves. The odds are stacked against us, but it is the consumer who dictates the market. It’s as simple as supply and demand. Every time a product you purchase is scanned at the check-out, you become an advocate for that particular food or beverage. Think about it. What have you been advocating lately?
Our children still have a chance at a healthy life, but it’s up to us as their parents to give them that chance. If five year-olds are incapable of making proper food choices without the guidance of an adult, how is it that these corporations are WINNING over our kids? It is in fact the adult that is purchasing this crap, correct?
We need to STOP being a victim of the food industry.
And honestly, the Shrek Twinkies make me want to gag just looking at them.
Mommy OM 
Not that it makes a lot of difference, but based on the accent it sounds Australian or British. I’ve worked with kids for years and never heard this. Now the MCdonalds song from the 80’s I remember using that to jump rope…. Still remember it: Big Mac, Filet of Fish, Quarter Pounder, French Fries, Icy Coke, Thick Shake Sundaes and Apple pies”
Two whole beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. It’s terrible that I can recite that commercial.
Thank you for this post…I am tired of listening to parents who are always finding someone else to blame for their children’s health problems. Proper nutrition and proper education on healthy choices start at home!!
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I agree Dr. Lisa. These companies tend to market towards children quite frequently. However, when will it be the parent’s fault for actually giving in and buying this stuff for them? The kids (for the most part) can’t eat it if someone doesn’t buy it for them, right?