KELLOGG'S AND NICKELODEON IN COURT

So a couple of parents, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood decided to sue Kellogg's and Nickelodeon for what they perceive as irresponsibility when placing food ads aimed at children. Their lawsuit comes in the heels of a recent study that determined that companies' usage of TV ads was in turn causing children to eat unhealthily.

Really, as much as I share their concern for the well-being for children all around the world, the ads are not exactly to blame here. I mean, they certainly prey on the youngsters with their images of sugary foods etc, but still - it is up to the parents to educate their children well and also feed them in a healthy manner.

Growing up, I was allowed only a small amount of TV. And snacks consisted of small homemade sandwiches, fruit, juice and toast, etc. Soda was reserved for weekends. No chips, for instance. Pringles was something I first saw when I was 16, and was traveling abroad.

This is not to say that other families in Brazil raised their children the same way. Many of my friends did consume a fair amount of junk food, and later on, microwaveable foods (when those became popular). My parents, while by no means overly concerned with healthy eating, just ate well. There's always some sort of salad on our table, and some other vegetable dish as a side. Sweets (as in candy, chocolate) were rare, but we always had dessert (which could be one of the wonderful fruits we have back home or a homemade flan, for instance). And this is the way I grew up.

Nowadays, I still do not buy nor eat chips. It is very rare that I even accept one when offered. Again, not because I am a healthy eater, but because I do not even like the taste so much. And as far as eating out in junk food places, rarely as well. Occasionally, I will crave a cheeseburger - but then as soon as I bite into one of them I know something is missing. I try and make my own burgers at home, they tend to taste better anyway.

What I am getting at here is that these people don't seem to realize that whatever kids do, they get their cues from us, adults. So if we raise our children on a diet of TV-and-Big Mac more than once a week (heck, more than once every 6 months for me is already a crime!), then what can we expect?

I know it is hard to see what came first by now, the chicken or the egg. But another thing to take into account is that Americans have an interesting relationship with food: the portions are always huge, for instance, along the lines of quantity and not exactly quality... After all, this is the land of "supersize me", right?

I believe that if parents cut the time their children spent in front of the TV by half and encouraged them to participate in more productive activities (whatever happened to playing anyway?), that alone would change their eating habits. And home-cooked meals, everyone seating around the table, eating peacefully, no TV to gawk at during mealtime - all that would have a positive effect.

Kellogg's is in the food business; Nickelodeon is in the TV and advertising business. I don't know, but this lawsuit sounds like a stretch to me. Plus, this Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood - it doesn't sound right. It sounds quite absurd actually.