House Republicans are siding with food companies resisting the Obama administration’s efforts to pressure them to stop advertising junk food for children.
Some food companies say the government is going too far with guidelines proposed earlier this year by several government agencies. The voluntary guidelines would attempt to shield children from ads for sugary and fatty foods – think colorful characters on cereal boxes – on television, in stores and on the Internet. Companies would be urged to market foods to children ages 2 through 17 only if they contain specific healthy ingredients and are low in fats, sugars and sodium.
Even though the guidelines are voluntary, many companies are aggressively lobbying against them, saying they fear the government will retaliate against them if they don’t go along.
Republicans are attempting to delay the guidelines by including a provision in next year’s Federal Trade Commission budget that would require the government to study the potential costs and impacts of the guidelines before implementing them.
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