Cereal Paper-Final

A group of preteens are in a field, chasing after a leprechaun and just as they are about to catch him, he screams “Marshmallow Power!” and he (as well as his lucky charms) is miniaturized. The kids are thrilled because this means more magic in every bite! As the leprechaun glides away on his flying carpet of cereal, we are shown a Lucky Charms box next to some orange slices and a glass of milk. An announcer says “Lucky Charms, part of a good breakfast. Get more magic with mini charms.” End Scene. If you have watched Nickelodeon or any Saturday morning cartoon program you have probably seen the above scenario played out over and over again. A cereal with a special candy element being toted as “part of a good breakfast” or “mom approved.” But, is this the truth? By looking at how cereal companies are advertising and the truth about their products it should be clear that cereal companies are using advertisements to coax children into eating their products, all the while sugar-coating their unhealthy side effects.

First, it is important to look at how children are affected by advertising. This brings to mind the documentary “Super Size Me.” There is a segment during the film where a group of 1^st graders are shown a series of photographs and they are asked to identify the subject in each photo. The students could not correctly name George Washington or Jesus Christ but they all recognized Ronald McDonald immediately. But not knowing historical figures is the least of our problems when it comes to kids and advertising. According to one study, there are more ads for junk food then there are for healthy foods (how many times have you seen a commercial for lettuce?) and that kids see about 20,000 food ads per year. (Policy Statement: Children, Adolescents, and Advertising) So, after all this exposure to candy commercials, children are more inclined to ask their parents to buy sugary, high-caloric foods. This craving for junk food is leading many to believe in a link between the United States’ obesity problem and food advertisements. (Trubiano) In order to establish this link we must look at how cereal companies (for our purposes) are targeting kids.

If you look on the back of a General Mill’s Reese’s Puffs cereal box, you will find word puzzles, mazes, and even a checklist of things to do before you are 18. The front of the box claims that this cereal is made with whole grain, has 12 vitamins and minerals, and is a good source of calcium. In the picture, instead of the cereal being in a bowl, it’s in a chocolate cup. Of course, this is because the cereal originated from Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups candy. This is the perfect example of a company clearly marketing a product towards kids, stating that its good for you, but in reality it’s just chocolate and peanut butter for breakfast. Cereal companies use all kinds of advertising tactics to coerce children into eating their food. They are even interacting with young consumers online through video games. General Mill’s popular Millsberry.com has more than 20 games and gets more than 750,000 visitors a months under the age of 18; the average user visits 2.8 times a months spending nearly 24 minutes per session (Rochman). Then of course there are the old standbys that cereal companies have always used: popular cartoon characters, athletes, and singers, General Mills even went as far as to give the popular Shrek character his own cereal with marshmallow pieces in the shape of characters from the movie. They are advertising for this cereal by putting glow in the dark watches, each featuring a “Shrek” character, in boxes of Trix, CoCoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cheerios, and Honey Nut Cheerios (Hopkins).

But cereal companies are not just focused on getting the kids’ attention. Among all the cartoon characters and games you will find labels like “Smart Choice” and “with Vitamin D”, assuring parents that this product is healthy and good for their kids. A study done at Yale University’s Rudd Center found that cereals marketed directly to children have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber, and 60% more sodium than cereals marketed towards adults. Of the cereals targeted directly to children, only 8% meet sugar limits to qualify for inclusion in the USDA’s Women, Infants, and Children program, and none of them meet the nutrition standards needed to advertise to children in the United Kingdom (Cereal F.A.C.T.S.). The study also found that the least healthy breakfast cereals are those most aggressively marketed to children and that cereal companies spend nearly $156 million annually marketing to children on television alone. Researchers believe that television advertising like this is a contributing factor in the obesity problem. A study in Health Psychology showed that 7-11 year olds who watched a cartoon with food advertisements ate 45% more snacks while viewing the show than did kids who watched the same cartoon without the ads (Rochman). Cereal companies have been camouflaging the truth about their unhealthy products but with these new findings we can change the situation and start advertising healthier products.

Sixteen leading food and beverage companies have responded to a federal report that found the marketing of junk food to children contributes to obesity and agreed to change how they advertise to young children. The companies have reduced calories, fat and sugar and raised fiber and vitamins. Some companies have committed to make “better for you” foods for kids; the only problem is that the companies are the ones who decide the definition of “better for you” (Rochman). There is still room for improvement but cereal companies are making small steps in the right direction.

The cereal aisle is a goldmine for manufacturers and a landmine for parents. When you are with children who have watched television and movies it can be a disaster. Cereal companies use popular characters and fun games to entice kids into buying their products, but these sugary foods have negative side effects. Their high sugar and sodium levels contribute to childhood obesity. But now cereal companies are taking measures to change how they make and advertise their food. The changes may be small but it is good that the kids are getting breakfast with some milk and fruit.

Works Cited

“Cereal F.A.C.T.S.” The Rudd Center Health Digest. Nov 2009. 10 Apr. 2010

Hopkins, Gary L. “How TV and advertising affect your child’s health.” CBS. Nov.-Dec. 1997. 14 Apr. 2010

“Policy Statement: Children, Adolescents, and Advertising.” Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 6 Dec. 2006. 10 May 2010

Rochman, Bonnie. “Sweet Spot: How Sugary-Cereal Makers Target Kids.” Time. 2 Nov. 2009. 10 Apr. 2010

Trubiano, Laura. “Science editorial: The effect of food advertising on the childhood obesity epidemic.” Hamilton College. 20 Jan. 2006. 10 May 2010

What I learned about research...

During this class (ENG 101) I learned a ton of new ways to research. I used to hate it when teachers would require book sources for our works cited. But now with sites like LexisNexis and Google Books, I can find the information I need without having to dig through a pile of stuff that does not pertain to my topic. This especially helped when we started revising our final papers. I could find new information and see things from a different angle then with the sources I was getting from just “Googling” my topic. It’s kind of crazy that for years I was using pretty lame sources for all my papers all the while there was this whole new world of research waiting for me. With these easy to navigate sites, I am not dreading (well, sort of) the idea of having to use books and scholarly journals as cites.

McGurgle

Morgan Spurlock's documentary, "Super Size Me," manages to be both entertaining and horrifying as it draws a (somewhat obvious) parallel between the ever-increasing rate of obesity in America and the fast food nation we live in. But this isn't your average, informative documentary; the film follows Spurlock for a month during which he only eats McDonald's food, for every meal. Oh and whenever an employee asks him if he wants to "Super Size" his meal, he must say yes. Before starting this experiment he consulted a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, and a general practitioner, all of whom said that this experiment wouldn't be GOOD for his health, but that there would be some minimal damage. Well, in the end he gained almost 30 lbs, had frequent nausea and chest pains, experienced mood swings, saw his cholesterol skyrocket, and lost his sex drive. Before the experiment was even done, all of the doctors were advising him to stop immediately. During this month, he also drove around the country (making sure to hit the nation's fattest city, Houston) interviewing different people on the topic. He meets a "Big Mac Enthusiast" (who is rocking the John Lennon look very hard) who has eaten over 19,000 Big Macs and still maintains a slender physique (he rarely eats the fries). The most shocking to me, however, was when a group of 1st graders could correctly identify who Ronald McDonald was but not Jesus Christ. That just goes to show the effect our fast food mentality has when you can recognize a fictional clown but not one of, if not THE, most important people in history. Overall I really enjoyed watching this documentary; it has a very interesting gimmick, humor sprinkled in, and a very enlightening core. No, this is not going to stop everyone from eating fast food but it has made people aware of how bad this obesity problem really is and steps are being taken to prevent further harm; McDonald's has done away with the Super Size option and has added more healthy items. I think the most important lesson to be learned, is that it’s your body and YOU decide what to put in your mouth. Sweet moments with a cheesy Double Quarter Pounder are not worth the price of your gastric bypass surgery.

Cereal Advertisements Paper-Resources

One of the first things I did while researching was actually watch cereal advertisements on television and online, this is one of the commercials I used as an example in my paper.

A second source I used quite frequently in my paper was this Time Magazine article. This article provided a lot of information from studies done on children and cereal advertisements.

This article gave me a ton of statistics on cereal advertisements and also on the nutritional value of the cereal.

Final Draft-Rethinking School Lunches

To Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School,

Since graduating from Saint Stephen’s two years ago there have been many times when I have sat with friends and looked back on our time spent there, and almost always “cookie break” is brought up. It was everyone’s favorite part of the day, a Saint Stephen’s tradition. After you shoved your way past the mob of people standing in front of the counter, for one dollar you are given a grease spotted paper bag that holds the warmest, gooiest chocolate chip cookie you have ever set your eyes on. So you buy another and maybe another. Oh and it’s Wednesday so they are selling Nutella filled crepes in the French room, you better grab one of those. Don’t forget to stop by the vending machine and grab a soda to wash it all down. All of this and you still have a lunch provided by Chick-fil-A waiting for you. And this is the problem and the reason why I am writing you. Childhood obesity and diabetes are rocketing to scary heights and schools need to help change the way that kids eat. It won’t be easy but if steps are taken like incorporating lessons on nutrition, growing school-wide gardens, and switching out junk food with something more nourishing then we will see results that far outweigh any material cost. Educating students on nutrition will instill lifelong eating habits that they will pass on to their own families making for a strong, healthy America.

Along with English and math, schools need to educate students on what is healthy to eat. This can be fun and creative like turning a math lesson into a cooking lesson. The students learn about fractions and how to measure as well as basic cooking skills. Then they can take these new skills and maybe become inspired to cook more meals at home instead of ordering a pizza. People learn better if they can apply what they are being taught to real life, so not only will including cooking and nutrition in lessons help students encourage be healthy but it might also help them get a better grasp of their core subjects.

To expand on food education, another great, hands-on way to educate kids about nutrition is to grow a garden. This way they can learn where food comes from and be exposed to foods that they would not normally eat at home. Not a lot of people have eaten something that came straight from the plant and kids should know what something fresh and natural tastes like. Growing a garden can also teach about the environment, hard work, and how to care for something which can translate to what they put in their own bodies.

Probably the most important, and most costly, step that needs to be taken is switching out the junk food with nutritious food. One way to do this is to invest in healthy vending machines. Gary Hirschberg of Stonyfield Farm did just that when he devised a vending machine that stocks healthy snacks: yogurt smoothies, fruit leathers and whole-wheat pretzels (http://www.newsweek.com/id/56375). Not only will kids be eating more satisfying food but also they won’t experience the sugar high and crash that can interfere with their academic performance and behavior in the classroom.

Kids spend more of their waking time at school then they do with their parents. This is why it is so important for schools to take a stand and do what is in their students a best interest. This can be done if we include lessons on healthy food, provide hands-on experience such as growing a garden, and changing out regular vending machine chips and candy with healthier options. If actions are taken to add nutritional education to the curriculum then we will see a vast improvement in the nation’s health that will continue far after we are gone.

Rethinking School Lunches

To my ENG 101 group: I only added part of my intro, the points that I'm going to make, and my thesis. I'm having some writer's block. Please, critique anyways or give your opinions. I need some help...

To the parents of Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School students,

Since graduating from Saint Stephen’s two years ago there have been many times when I have sat with friends and looked back on our time spent there, and almost always “cookie break” is brought up. It was everyone’s favorite part of the day, and has been known to cause riots when taken away. A Saint Stephen’s tradition, after you shoved your way past the mob of people standing in front of the counter, for one dollar (free if you are “in” with the sales people) you are given a grease spotted paper bag that holds the warmest, gooiest chocolate chip cookie you have ever seen. So you buy another and maybe another. Oh and it’s Wednesday so they are selling Nutella filled crepes in the French room, you better grab one of those. You will need something to wash it down, so you buy a Mountain Dew from the vending machine. All of this and it’s not even 10:30 in the morning.

Problems with school lunches: cause obesity, malnutrition, and bad eating habits.

Thesis: In order for children to be healthy and have healthy eating habits, major changes need to be made to their school lunches so that they are not only tasty but nutritious.

Your Are What You Eat

If there is any truth to the saying "you are what you eat", then the USA is in big trouble. Food, Inc. from director Robert Kenner is a documentary that looks at the corporate run food industry and how they (not necessarily knowingly) have become providers of cheap, unhealthy food. The film addresses issues like animal mistreatment, food contamination, and how the big food corporations cover up these problems with help from the government. I honestly felt sick to my stomach while watching the film. The parts with the big businesses pushing around the "little guys" and putting a blindfold over the consumer's eyes are all things that we have seen before (health care, oil, etc..). But what churned my stomach the most was the footage of the animals. Living in their own excrement, crammed together in great numbers, filled with antibiotics, deformed, suffering, and then brutally killed. The topper is, not only are these animals treated horribly but then we eat them after they have been living in their own shit! But I guess it is not surprising that they are willing to feed us such contaminated food after you see how they treat their own employees. The food corporations knowingly hire illegal immigrants (these mega-businesses sure like to cut costs and corners) and then sell them out in order to appease the government. Food, Inc. does provide some hope like with the farmer from Virginia who treats all of his livestock with care and does his work in the open, fresh air. We also see mega-corporation Wal-Mart taking steps to endorse organic products. This film will make you think twice about what you put in your shopping cart and it has an important message that I think anyone who eats (which is everyone) should know, that most of what we eat now is produced by a handful of centralized businesses, and that this situation is detrimental to our health and humanity.