Martin: Voluntary Ad Efforts Not Enough

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin testified before the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies and Financial Services and General Government. The subject was marketing food products to children. Chairman Martin said that the Joint Task Force on Media and Childhood Obesity succeeded in producing some significant voluntary commitments aimed at reducing the negative impact of the media on children's eating habits and increasing its positive influence on their behavior, ultimately it did not reach an agreement on two key issues: 1) a uniform standard of what constitutes healthy versus unhealthy foods; and 2) the willingness of most media companies to place any limit on the advertising of unhealthy foods on children's programs. While it was Martin's hope that the government would not have to resort to actual requirements, and he strongly encouraged the media companies to propose some voluntary limitations on advertising targeting our children, in the end no widespread voluntary commitment on behalf of the media industry was forthcoming. He concluded, "On the voluntary side, I am left to conclude that, sadly, no limit was even close to being presented."